The Black Strings
by firefly81
Summary: After participating in a Black family ritual, Hermione learns she has not one, but two soulmates. There's only one problem; they are both dead. She's not going to let a pesky little thing like death stop her.
1. Chapter 1

There was a ritual that every member of the Black family spent their whole lives waiting to happen. It was celebrated with huge parties, everyone dressing up and dancing the night away. Tables would overflow with delicious food, and glasses never lacked for champagne or elf-made wine. Fairy lights would hang from every available surface, giving off a soft low. Hermione glanced around at her friends and family, all laughing and having a wonderful time. It was her turn for the Black Family 'coming-of-age' ritual (as they would call it in the Muggle world), and she should have been having the time of her life.

She was miserable.

She was hating every minute of it. Her dress (while gorgeous, Sirius bought it so of course it was) was hot and heavy, and all she wanted to do was take it off. She had allowed Ginny to do her hair and although it wasn't bushy anymore, Ginny had attacked it as if it were. The result was her hair was soaked in Sleekeazy. She tried to shake off her whiny attitude as Sirius and Remus had gone through a lot of trouble to arrange this party for her.

She smiled as she watching Harry dancing with Daphne Greengrass, a huge smile on his face and laughter leaving his lips. It warmed her heart and if anyone deserved some happiness, it was Harry. And he certainly seemed happy as he danced with his soulmate.

Oh yes, did she forget to mention that part?

The ritual, completed upon turning eighteen, was one to find their soulmate. Hermione found the whole thing rather odd, if she was being honest. She wasn't so sure she wanted to know, but no one would take her concerns seriously. They all told her it was an honor, that she should be happy. She thought that Remus understood, as she caught him eyeing her with something akin to pity in the days leading up to her party.

The worst part, in her opinion, was that Sirius would not tell her exactly what was going to happen. Sure, she had attended Harry's party, but he just called out Daphne's name and that was that. Sirius insisted it was a closely guarded secret, only handed down to the Heirs of the house.

It was driving her nuts.

Harry just laughed at her, telling her that some things were better off left unknown. All she had to do was show up to the party, let everyone stare at her, and let Sirius cast some spells on her. She had argued with Sirius, trying to get out of it by insisting she wasn't really a Black. The look he gave her at her words almost killed her. It was a mixture of disappointment and hurt. He told her, in no uncertain terms, that she was his daughter and as much a member of the House of Black as he was. She had flung herself at him then, grateful that Sirius and Remus had taken her in and adopted her when her parents were attacked and killed by Death Eaters in her fifth year. That was also the year Sirius had finally been able to have Harry come live with him. They made quite the happy family, even if Sirius had taken to complaining about his pups growing up and leaving him.

She cast a discrete Tempus and noticed it was almost time. Her eyes caught Remus', and he gave her a quick nod. He whispered something to Sirius and then made his way to her.

"Ready?" he asked when he reached her.

"Not really. You know I despise attention."

"I know, you take after me in that regard. But it will be over before you know it and then you will know the person who is your everything."

Remus was such a romantic. Knowing her luck, she would get stuck with Malfoy, who she noticed kept eyeing her up every time he thought she wasn't looking. She was fairly sure she saw Sirius smack him upside his head once. Speaking of Sirius, he was currently making an announcement that she was missing.

"...almost time for my daughter to find out who the person is that will take her away from me and Remus. Without further ado, may I present Hermione Lupin-Black!"

The applause and cheering was drowned out by the pounding of heart. She felt Remus squeeze her hand gently in understanding as he led her to the dais where Sirius was already standing. He smiled at her as she approached.

"Ready?"

"Not really."

"Come on, Hermione. It will be great; you'll see. I mean, just look at me and Remus or Harry and Daphne."

Right. They were all deliriously happy and obviously expected she would be too. Hell, even she thought she should be happy. Who wouldn't want to know who their soulmate was? But if she wanted to know who it was so badly, why did she feel as if something terrible was about to happen? She looked out into the crowd, everyone watching her with expectant expressions. Catching Harry's eye, she gave him a shaky smile and turned her attention back to Sirius. After giving him a quick nod to signal she was ready, he began.

"Numen fati invocaverimus. Benedicere cognitionem animae tribuas petere mate. Ostendere decachordum fatum."*

She could feel the magic swirl around her, and her dress fluttered with it. She almost thought she could see it as it settled around her wrists, before turning into strings. It was a curious sight, being able to see the strings that she knew everyone had. Her gaze moved from the strings out to the crowd, and she jumped a bit at all the faces staring at her. She had forgotten they were there.

"Hermione," Remus said softly, trying to get her attention.

"Right. Um, I thought they were supposed to be red. Isn't that what you told me? Red strings of fate?"

It was almost like the room itself breathed as she heard a collective gasp rise from the crowd. From the two men standing next to her, she heard two different things.

"What?!"

"They?!"

Her guests were starting to whisper among themselves as she turned her attention to Sirius.

"They aren't red, Sirius."

Sirius looked like he was about to pass out from shock, and she reached out to comfort him. Remus stopped her, instead pulling Sirius close and whispering in his ear. If it was at all possible for him to grow paler, he would have. He made a quick gesture in Harry's direction and the next thing she knew, Harry and Daphne were at her side.

She was half aware that Remus was making some kind of announcement as Sirius lead her out of the room. Once they reached the library, they only had to wait a couple of minutes before Remus joined them as well. She tried to ignore the fact that the other occupants of the room all were looking at her with concern.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?"

"Hermione, what, exactly, do you see?" Remus asked her.

"I see the strings, just like you told me I would."

"Strings? You see more than one?"

"I see two. And, like I said, they aren't red. They are both black."

"Oh gods," Remus muttered. Harry and Daphne both looked confused, while Sirius looked close to tears. "Do you see any names on the strings?"

"No. But I should, right? Isn't that how Harry knew about Daphne even though she wasn't at his party?"

"There's a choice, when the strings are black. You can choose to know, or choose not to know," Sirius explained, his voice broken and sad.

"But what does it mean that the strings are black? And why do I have two?"

She watched carefully as Remus and Sirius appeared to be having a silent conversation between them. Sirius seemed to be almost pleading to Remus. Remus finally let out a great sigh and turned towards her.

"Hermione, it means your soulmates are dead."

She heard gasps sound throughout the room, one from Daphne and the other from herself. She hadn't even realized she made a sound.

"But... dead? Both of them?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Remus said.

"I want to know. I want to know who they were."

"Hermione, no! You can't!" Harry yelled, finally speaking up.

"Harry – "

"No! You'll drive yourself crazy with that knowledge. I know how you are. Please, don't do this," Harry pleaded with her.

"I have to know. Sirius, please."

Sirius looked very much like he wanted to refuse her request, but a quick glare from her had him waving his hands in her direction. Wandless magic, she assumed. Suddenly, like they had been there the whole time, a name appeared on each string, and she felt ill, wishing she had listened to Harry. The horror she felt as she looked at the names must have been clearly communicated to the others, because she could hear them asking what was wrong, but yet it sounded like they were far away.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Remus asked softly, his voice finally getting through to her. She raised her eyes, looking between Sirius and Harry, knowing she could never tell them what names appeared. Jumping up suddenly, she ran from the library, knowing she could not stay there a minute longer. The names of her soulmates were forever burned into her mind.

 _Regulus Arcturus Black_

 _James Charlus Potter_

* * *

*We call on the goddess of fate. Please bless this request and bestow the knowledge of the soul's mate. Show the strings of fate.

Huge thanks to Liza and Raybe for all the help and betaing duties.

Written for:The Second Theme Competition  
The Getting Around Challenge: (character) Hermione Granger

A few notes (please read): Obviously this is not a canon story. Harry is a bit older than Hermione here. The war still happened in pretty much the same way (except Sirius and Remus did not die). There may be other departures (Reg will die a bit later than he did in canon). Also, please take note of the pairing (triad) for this story.

Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Her door slammed behind her as she rushed into her room, heading straight for the in-suite bathroom. She hunched over the sink and splashed cold water on her face, as if to wash away the tears that did not seem to want to stop falling. Never had she ever wished that she remained in the dark regarding the pursuit of knowledge before. How was she ever going to be able to face Sirius knowing that his brother was her soulmate? He could not even say Regulus' name without holding back tears.

And Harry. Oh gods, Harry.

How could she tell him that his _father_ was her soulmate? His father, who everyone said married the love of his life. Which brought up another question. James' mother was a Black. Why did he marry Lily if he knew she wasn't his soulmate? Actually, the more she thought about it, the more questions she had. She wouldn't have been born yet when Regulus and James completed the ritual. Did they know they had two soulmates?

Frustrated at her many questions and having no answers, she threw her pillow across the room and threw herself down on her bed. What did this mean for her? Was she doomed to be alone for the rest of her life? She wasn't sure she could date, knowing that person was meant for someone else. The thought of never having the love that so clearly shone between Remus and Sirius or Harry and Daphne brought fresh tears to her eyes.

She jumped up when there was a sudden pounding on her door. That would be Sirius. He always tried to get her to open her door when she was upset by making as much noise as possible. Confident in the knowledge that he would not be able to get through her wards, she ignored him (even if she felt slightly guilty doing so). He'd give up before long.

And he did. Only to be replaced by a slightly less loud knocking. Must be Harry's turn. She ignored him as well. Harry always meant well but had the tendency of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. It took him a few minutes to realize that she wasn't going to let him in and finally, the knocking stopped.

She figured she had a very short time before Harry and Sirius would convince Remus that it was his turn to try. Taking that time to think about whether she wanted to talk to him or not, she decided she would talk to him. She needed to talk to someone, and she certainly couldn't talk to Sirius or Harry.

 _*rap rap*_

She could almost grin with the predictability of the men in her life. Almost. With a wave of her hand, the wards around her room fell and the door swung open. Remus walked in, the door shutting behind him. He said nothing as he just sat next to her and opened his arms, which she immediately flung herself into. She clung to him, the tears starting anew, as he tightened his grip on her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She pulled back, bringing a hand to her face to swipe frantically at the tears.

"No, not really. But I also know I will go crazy if I keep it to myself. You can't tell Sirius, though. Or Harry."

"Hermione... Sirius is my husband; I don't keep secrets from him. Not only that, he is your father. He's going to want to know."

She sighed, guiltily. Remus was right (he was _always_ right).

"You're right; I know that. I just... I can't... it's going to break his heart, Remus. I don't want him to feel worse than I'm sure he already does."

"Yes, he's already in his full guilty mood over making you do the ritual when you didn't want to. But he's an adult and he'll get over whatever it is you have to tell us."

They sat there quietly for a few minutes while she gathered her nerve. That was one of the things she loved about Remus the most. He never pushed you, and he was always there with his quiet, yet strong, support. She knew she could go to him about anything, and he would always be there for her. She took a deep breath.

"Well, you already know about the strings, how there were two and they were both black. So, that brings us to the names. Remus... " she trailed off, unsure of how exactly to say what she needed to say.

"It's okay, Hermione. Whoever they were, we'll get through this. Together."

"It's Regulus Black and James Potter," she blurted out. Since she was already watching him closely, she could see his face turn white as the blood drained down. Slightly concerned that he might pass out, she was relieved when he seemed to snap out of the shock. The shock, however, turned to a different emotion as his mouth turned downward and he sighed heavily. She was certain she saw tears beginning to gather in his eyes which instantly made her want to cry again. There were few things that made her more upset than seeing her family hurting. Especially if they were hurting because of her.

"So you were their third. Somehow, that does not surprise me as much as it should. I'm so sorry, Hermione. So very sorry."

"Wait. So you knew about Regulus and James being soulmates? Why did James marry Lily then if he knew?"

"He didn't know. Even though James' mother was a Black, his father was against the ritual so he never completed it. And as far as I know, I'm the only one that knows that Regulus not only had two strings, but that one was James and the other was clear with no name. Which apparently meant the person that string belonged to had not yet been born. Regulus and Sirius' relationship was strained by that point, but I had maintained a friendship with him, of sorts. I'll never forget the day he told me."

 _Remus jumped slightly as the walls of his flat started shaking from the force of the banging on his front door. He stood up, making his way to the door, wondering who it could possibly be. Flinging the door open, he was very surprised to see Regulus standing on the stoop, hands fisted in his hair and looking more unkempt than he had ever seen him._

 _"Regulus? Um... Sirius isn't here right now."_

 _"He's not who I wanted to see, Remus. Can I come in?"_

 _"Of course," Remus said as he moved aside to let Regulus in. He motioned to Regulus to have a seat, which he promptly did, and Remus sat across from him._

 _"Regulus, are you okay? You look like – "_

 _"I need you to take a Vow that you won't tell Sirius anything about this visit."_

 _"I know you and Sirius don't get along, but Reg, he's my husband. I don't keep secrets from him."_

 _"Remus. Please."_

 _Remus took a closer look at the man sitting across from him and was stunned at what he saw. His eyes were rimmed with red, his hair was disheveled, and it looked like he had spent the last week in the clothes he was wearing. Smelled like it, too. It was obvious that Regulus needed help. So he agreed and took the Vow._

 _"Now, tell me what's got you so upset."_

 _"My eighteenth birthday was last week."_

 _Ah._

 _"Something odd happened. I had two strings, one was clear with no name and the other..."_

 _"Clear? What does that mean? What was wrong with the other?"_

 _"Uncle Alphard said the clear meant that person hadn't been born yet. As for the other, it was James."_

 _"Oh. Oh Reg, I'm sorry. Maybe if you went to him, told him he's your soulmate – "_

 _"No! No. He made his choice when he dumped me for taking the Mark. I tried explaining that Mother forced me, but he didn't want to hear it. Besides, he's marrying Evans in a few months," he spat out, bitterness dripping from every word. He continued, "I just... I need you to do something for me. He's your best mate so I know you will, but keep an eye on him for me, yeah? And if it ever comes out who the third is, them too."_

 _"What? Of course I will, but Regulus, what is going on?"_

 _Regulus said nothing more, merely shaking his head as he stood up abruptly and made for the door. Remus was so shocked at his uncharacteristic behavior that it took him a few seconds to react. He jumped up and chased after him._

 _"Regulus! Wait!"_

 _But it was too late as the sound of Apparition hit his ears, he knew Reg was long gone._

 _That was the last time he would ever see Regulus._

Hermione had no idea what to think about the story that Remus just told her.

"You never told anyone what Regulus told you?"

"Only you. I took the Vow so I literally could not tell Sirius. Regulus' name came up as dead on the Black tapestry a week later, and I didn't see the point in telling James. Instead, I tried my best to keep him safe. It seems I failed them both, and, as it turns out, you."

"Remus, no! Don't say that; it's not true. I just... I don't understand. James and Regulus were together, in school?"

"They dated in our sixth year, Regulus' fifth. They kept it quiet, no one really knew. Sirius thought they were just good friends."

"What happened?"

"Regulus took the Mark. He wasn't like his parents; he didn't want the Mark any more than Sirius did, but he found it much harder to go against his parents. His mother ended up having to Imperius him to get him to take it. Once James found out, he was livid. I think he took it as a personal betrayal. He left Regulus straight away and refused to speak with him."

"That's awful! James should have listened to him."

"I know. When we got the news of Regulus' death, James was a wreck. I'd never seen him so upset, not even when his parents were killed. I thought then, and still do, that he was still in love with Regulus."

"Why did he marry Lily then?"

"I don't know. I never could bring myself to ask."

They fell silent then. Hermione was grateful as her mind was swimming with all the new information that Remus gave her. She lay her aching head on Remus' shoulder, his arm coming up to rest on her shoulder, pulling her in closer. His warmth, and all her previous crying, relaxed her into such a state that she was asleep within minutes. Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her was how unfair the whole thing was. Love ripped apart by war and two lives ended before their time. Damn Voldemort. She hoped he was rotting in hell.

* * *

Remus laid the sleeping girl, _his daughter_ , down gently on her bed. It always amazed him to look at the family he had now, after spending so many years alone. He certainly never thought he would have kids, what with Sirius being locked up for the majority of their marriage. But he had him back, along with Hermione and Harry, and it was more than he could have ever hoped for. He would do anything for them and it killed him to see Hermione so upset, to know that he would have to leave her room and further upset his husband and their other pup.

With one last glance to make sure Hermione was okay, Remus made his way to her door, pausing at the threshold to steel his nerve. As he exited the room, he found Sirius, Harry, and Daphne all waiting for him, looking concerned. Well, Harry and Daphne looked concerned. Sirius looked... devastated.

"Harry, why don't you escort Daphne home? I need to talk to Sirius."

Harry looked like he was about to argue, but a quick look from Daphne had him agreeing. After they left, Remus led Sirius to their bedroom.

"How much does she hate me?"

"She doesn't hate you, Sirius. She loves you. She's just... upset that her soulmates are dead and worried about your reaction."

"My reaction? Why is she worried about that?"

"Sirius, her soulmates were James and Regulus."

He watched as Sirius silently mouthed the words 'James' and 'Regulus' before his eyes rolled up into his head and he promptly passed out.

Drama Queen.

* * *

Huge thanks to Liza, for rec'ing this fic to her readers, and Raybe for all the help and beta-ing duties.

Thank you for all the favs, follows, and reviews! I'm completely blown away by the response for this new fic! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius blinked his eyes as he came to, wondering why the back of his head was aching. Rubbing his head, he sat up, only to realize that Remus was right in front of him. He looked... concerned.

"Remus! I've just had the strangest dream. I dreamt that I performed the soulmate ritual with Hermione, and her soulmates were James and Regulus! Isn't that just completely insane?"

"Um, Sirius..."

"What is it, my Moonpie?"

Remus scowled at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that? Anyway, that wasn't a dream."

"What?" he hissed.

"It wasn't a dream, Sirius. You did perform the soulmate ritual with Hermione. Her strings were both black, and she told me that her soulmates were James and Regulus. When I relayed this to you... well, you fainted."

"Oh Godric, what have I done? She told me she didn't want to do this, and I guilted her into it, only to have it come crashing down around her. She's going to hate me forever, isn't she? What the hell kind of father am I?"

"Well, I've always thought you were more the mother..."

He was sure the look he shot Remus could have curdled milk.

"This isn't funny, Remus."

"I know. I know it's not. I'm sorry, I'm just not sure how to deal with the fact that our daughter not only has two soulmates, but that they are both dead. And Hermione could never hate you, Sirius. She loves you, you know that."

"I've ruined her life."

"You haven't. Stop that right now. Hermione is an incredibly strong young woman. She'll get through this, and she has us to help her. It's going to be okay. _She'll_ be okay."

Sirius nodded in agreement and pulled Remus in for a hug. He really hoped that Remus was right, but try as he might, he couldn't help the feeling that things just might get worse.

* * *

Hermione spent the next week in a sort of a daze. She tried to pretend like everything was okay, ignoring the multiple looks of concern she got each day from Harry, Sirius, and Remus. Assuring them that she was going to be just fine had no effect on the aforementioned looks. She couldn't blame them, really, as she wasn't quite sure she believed it herself. While she wasn't looking to get married and settle down with children just yet, the thought that that would never happen for her was more depressing than she imagined.

Sure, she could always date regardless like Sirius suggested, but she wasn't so sure she could do so without feeling guilty. Even if most people don't complete rituals to find out who, exactly, their soulmate was, she rather liked to think they would find them in a different way. She didn't think she could date someone while knowing she was not their soulmate and could possibly be keeping them from meeting the person that was.

It was all very depressing to think about, if she was being honest.

But so was thinking about spending the rest of her life alone. She was only eighteen, and with the much longer life spans that witches and wizards were afforded, the rest of her life could end up being a very long time (barring any unnatural causes, of course). Sure, she had her family: Remus, Sirius, Harry, and now Daphne. She loved them, she did, but Sirius had Remus and Harry had Daphne. And then it was just her, the odd one out.

She should be used to that feeling by now.

Good gods, she wanted to smack herself. She was young, healthy, had a loving and supportive family, and the means to do pretty much whatever she wanted with her life. Instead, she was sitting around wallowing in what she could not have, even after promising Sirius that she wouldn't.

 _The knock at the door surprised her. Sure, she was expecting it would come eventually, just not this soon after her talk with Remus. She had only woken up from her hour long nap about ten minutes ago, and she was certain she would be left alone for the remainder of the night._

 _"Come in, Sirius."_

 _The door opened slowly, almost as if he was afraid he might be hit with hex. When it was finally opened fully, Sirius was standing there, eyes pained and the wrinkles around his mouth (that he would never admit to having wrinkles) more pronounced because of the downturn of his lips._

 _"How did you know it was me?"_

 _"I always know when it's you, Sirius. Just like I know if it's Harry or Remus."_

 _"Can we talk?"_

 _She gestured to her bed, indicating that he should sit down next to her._

 _"I suppose it's safe to say that Remus told you."_

 _"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I should have never made – "_

 _"Sirius, stop. I don't blame you for this. It's not your fault I have exceedingly bad luck and ended up with two dead soulmates. Honestly, what are the odds?" she asked lightly, trying to lightened his mood. She was pleased to see a hint of a smile grace his face._

 _"I want you to promise me that you won't let this take over your life. I know it will be hard, but please try. You are young and should be out there living it up, not wallowing over what cannot be. You can still date, fall in love. And... try not to hate me too much, okay? I love you, Hermione, and I will always be here if you need to talk."_

 _"I don't hate you, Sirius. I never could. You're the best father a girl could ever ask for. Remus too, of course."_

 _He looked relieved at her words that she did not hate him, and with a quick hug, got up to leave. As his hand reached out for the doorknob, she heard herself asking something she hadn't planned on._

 _"Do you think they would have liked me?"_

 _His back was towards her, and he stiffened but did not turn around._

 _"They would have loved you."_

 _She could hear the tears he was trying to keep from falling in his voice._

Knowing that things were fine between her and Sirius definitely helped her feel better about things. But she could still barely look Harry in the eye. Intellectually, she knew that this wasn't her fault, that she shouldn't feel bad about that fact that his father was one of her soulmates.

But she did.

He had tried to talk to her a few times, but she kept putting him off. Yet another thing she felt bad about. She did not even know if Sirius or Remus had told him who her soulmates were. She could tell he was getting frustrated at her constant attempts to avoid him, but she really didn't know what to say.

Going up to him and saying 'Oh hi there, Harry. How are you today? By the way, your father was one of my soulmates. Have a great day!' just did not seem like the best idea she had ever had. With a loud sigh, she decided to spend the rest of her evening wallowing in the library instead of her room. A change of scenery might do her some good.

To her, walking into the library was like coming home. It was a place she knew she would always be welcome, and a feeling of peace came over her every time she entered the room. Today was no different, but there was something else in the air, something strange.

It almost felt like... anticipation.

She quickly brushed it off, thinking herself silly, and started to browse the stacks for something she hadn't read yet. As much as she read, the library was quite large so she was always finding new material. So intent on her search she was that she did not realize the room had grown darker. The lit fireplace caused shadows to dance upon the walls, the movement almost making it seem as if the walls were alive, and the dark coloured curtains moved slightly as if there was a breeze.

There was no breeze.

She moved farther back towards the older part of the library, a section she had not explored much of yet. Running her finger tips across a few books, she was startled when a book suddenly came rushing down from above her, hitting the floor with a loud _thump_. She looked up but could not see where it had come from. That was... odd.

Bending over to pick the book up, she noticed it had fallen open. Reading the title of the section it had fallen open on, she quickly slammed the book shut, a loud gasp leaving her lips.

Surely, she was imagining things.

Surely, it was not possible.

Opening the book, she went straight to the page it had opened on and re-read the section title.

 _How to Retrieve Lost Souls from Beyond the Veil._

* * *

AN: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. This is un-beta'd so please excuse any mistakes. I hope you all enjoy this chapter so please, read and review!

Look Liza, I finished in time! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione stared at the book, not believing what she was seeing. She pinched herself, thinking maybe she was dreaming. It hurt.

Nope, not a dream then.

She continued to stare at it, almost unseeingly. Unsure of what to do, she wavered between wanting to put the book back and pretending she had never seen it or taking the book back to her room to study it. Not used to not seeking out more knowledge, she was leaning towards taking the book. But something stopped her.

What if it was too good to be true? What if it was dangerous?

Finally making a decision, she tucked the book up under her arm and made her way back to her room. She hoped she did not see anyone on the way, knowing she most likely had a guilty look on her face. She never could lie to Remus so he would know right away that something was off. Sirius or Harry, possibly, but never Remus. The man could read her every emotion like a book.

She was able to make it to her room, undetected. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she threw up as many wards as she could recall, going slightly overboard. With a soft sigh, she eyed the book warily. Might as well give it a read.

After all, it was just a book. No harm ever came from reading a book.

Right?

She opened it to the section it had fallen open to in the library and began to read.

 _How to Bring Back Lost Souls from Beyond the Veil._

 _This is not something that should be done without great consideration and preparation. It is, to put it simply, quite dangerous. Little is known about just how the ritual, shown below, works, and many people have died while attempting to pull their loved ones from their place of resting. To date, there have only been two successful attempts to complete the ritual. Unfortunately, there are no known accounts from the people who were successful. It would be remiss to not, once again, warn of the dangers of attempting this ritual._

 _You will be dealing with Fate. And Fate is a tricky mistress._

Hermione quickly read through the rest of the chapter until her eyes finally fell on the passage that contained the actual ritual. They widened dramatically as she read the list of required items.

Fuck.

She slammed the book shut with a frustrated sigh, half wishing she had never found it. Or had it found her?

Was it worth it? Was it worth it to risk her life to bring back two people she had never met before, soulmates or not? According to the book, this was something she needed to be compelled to do for someone other than herself. That was a main reason so many people had failed before, wanting to bring back people for their own selfish reasons.

She certainly loved both Sirius and Harry to want to do this for them. If she had found this book, not knowing about the soulmates, would she had done it to make them happy? Yes, she would have. But would that be enough to supersede her own selfish reasons for wanting to complete the ritual? She certainly hoped it would be enough.

Because she was going to do it.

With the decision made, she sat down to plan. There was only one part she considered a small stumbling block in her decision. To complete the ritual, one needed a vial of blood from a blood relative of the one you were trying to bring back. Normally, this whould have been no problem. Both Regulus and James were of Black descent. She could have gone to either Sirius or Harry. The problem was that she did not want to tell them about this. There was no sense getting their hopes up if it was a failure, and she knew they would try hard to stop her. Unfortunately, that only left one person she knew that she could help her.

Luckily, he just so happened to owe her a favor.

* * *

She smoothed her robes down, knowing it would do her no good to show up looking less than perfect. Moving as quietly as possibly, she made her way to the Floo and hoped she would not run into anyone. Her hopes were dashed, however, when not ten feet down the hallway she ran right into Harry.

Literally.

His hands shot out and caught her by her elbows before she could tumble to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Harry. No harm done. I have to go though as I have an appointment."

He hesitated and she tensed, not wanting to have this conversation with him right now.

"Hermione... are you okay?"

"Harry, I just told you that I'm fine."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I wish you would talk to me about this. You've always been there for me, and I will always be there for you, no matter what. You know that, right?"

She blinked her eyes quickly in an attempt to keep the tears at bay.

"I do know that. I'm sorry I've been so... weird about this whole situation. Why don't we talk when I get back?"

He agreed and told her he as meeting Daphne in five minutes but would be home in two hours. They arranged to meet in the kitchen for some of Remus' famous hot chocolate when they were both back in the house.

* * *

The voice on the other side of the door called for her to come in. She stepped through the door and closed it gently behind her, putting up strong silencing wards as she did so. The man sitting at the desk arched his annoyingly perfect eyebrow at her.

"Granger. This is a surprise."

"I'm not sure how as I sent you a letter, and you accepted my request."

"Which was a surprise. What do you want?"

"Right down to business then? Where ever are your manners, Malfoy?"

"Granger..."

"It's Lupin-Black actually."

She was certain she heard him mutter 'don't remind me' under his breath.

"Look, I have a meeting I need to prepare for. Can you get on with it?"

"Fine. I need a vial of your blood."

He stared at her, shock evident on his normally expressionless face.

"I'm sorry. I thought you just said that you need a vial of my blood."

"Well, I don't recall there ever being anything wrong with your hearing."

"Have you completely lost it? In what universe do you think you can just waltz in here like you own the place and demand a vial of my blood? Are you bloody insane? No. Now get out."

She had a feeling this was how it was going to go. The general rule in the Wizarding world is that you never gave another witch or wizard your blood. It was too dangerous and could very easily be used against you.

"I could own this place if I wanted – " she had to suppress a laugh as he glared at her, " – but all I want right now is your blood. You owe me."

"Damn it, Granger – "

"It's Lupin-Black, cousin," she drawled the last part, knowing it annoyed him.

" – you agreed we would never mention that again! Besides, this isn't anywhere near an even trade."

"Draco... please."

"Why?"

She reached into the bag she had brought her, took out the book, and placed it on his desk. He eyed it warily, before picking it up. And then he promptly dropped it back onto the desk as if the mere act of holding it burnt his fingers.

"Where did you get that book? That book is a myth!"

"Obviously not since I seem to currently be in possession of it. I found it in the library at home."

"Does this have anything to do with you running out of your party?"

He took her silence as confirmation.

"I can't let you do this. The likelihood that you are going to die is very high."

"I didn't know you cared, Malfoy."

"I don't," he scoffed, "What I do care about is Black coming after me when you do die."

"Ah yes. Self-preservation. Slytherin to the core, Malfoy."

"Who are your soulmates that you are willing to chance dying to get them back?"

"An Unbreakable Vow, Malfoy. I'll tell you who they are, you give me your blood with my assurance that it will never be used against you, and then we never speak of this again."

He agreed, and she told him, giggling at his expression when she revealed just who her soulmates were. After she was through, he handed her a small vial filled with his blood and said, "You know, this would have been so much easier if I was your soulmate."

She laughed fully then.

"Malfoy, you know you were second to last on my list of people I wanted to be my soulmate. No way would I want to be stuck with you."

"I'm hurt, Granger, I really am."

"You are not, you big ponce. Besides, can you imagine having Sirius as your father-in-law?"

His face paled, and she bit her tongue to not start laughing again. She carefully placed his blood and the book back in her bag and made her way out of his office, thanking him for his assistance. She was stopped, however, right before her hand touched the doorknob.

"Granger. Be careful."

With a nod, she dropped her wards and left.

She had more planning to do.

* * *

The planning would have to wait as Harry was waiting for her when she got home. She was not entirely sure she was ready to have this conversation with him, but she also knew it wasn't fair of her to keep him in the dark. It did concern his father, after all. She could only hope he took the news without freaking out (or fainting, like Remus told her Sirius had done).

Joining him at the table, she took the mug of the hot chocolate he had already prepared for her. They sat in silence for five minutes or so, just enjoying the peacefulness the kitchen always held.

"So..." Harry finally broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I know I haven't been dealing with this whole thing especially well. It's just... for the first time in a long while, I had absolutely no idea what to do."

"As much as everyone calls you the know-it-all, it is impossible to actually know it all."

"I do know that, at least," she said, giggling, "I've been struggling with how I was going to tell you the most."

"Me? Why?"

"There is really no good way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. My soulmates are Regulus Black and... " she told him, pausing after Regulus' name.

"And?"

"And... James Potter," she whispered, turning her eyes down towards the floor, not wanting to see the look on his face. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, she looked up to see Harry sitting there like a statue, face pale and eyes blank.

"Harry..." she said, wincing at the pleading tone she heard in her voice. His eyes snapped to hers then, and she gasped at the look of anguish that suddenly appeared.

"My father?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"Please... please don't hate me."

"Hate you? Why would I hate you? It's not like you picked him or anything. I just... I need some time," he said as he got up quickly and left the room.

She felt sadden as he left, knowing that any mention of his parents usually had him leaving the room and she felt horrible that she was the one that ran him off this time. All in all though, it could have gone worse.

He could have fainted.

* * *

AN: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I apologize that I haven't had a chance to personally respond to the reviews from chapter 3. All the support really means a lot to me!

This is un-beta'd so please excuse any mistakes. I hope you all enjoy this chapter so please, read and review!

This chapter contains a quote from one of my favorite movies. If you can find it, I'll give you a virtual cookie. :)


	5. Chapter 5

It was two days after her talk with Harry when he sought her out. After knocking on her door, he just barged right in (in his usual manner), not even waiting for her to say 'come in'. She scrambled a bit, pushing some of her papers under her pillow in hopes he wouldn't notice what she as doing.

"Are you busy?"

"I can always make time for you, Harry. You know that."

He joined her on her bed, and she pushed some of the books further out of his view.

"I'm sorry I walked out on you the other day. I just... needed some time to think about what you told me. Everyone always said how perfect my parents were together that it just surprised me that maybe they weren't meant to be together."

"I understand, Harry. Trust me, I needed to time to process the news as well."

"I know. I know, and that's why I feel so bad. This isn't really about me, Hermione."

"He's your father, Harry. Of course it is. I know how much it hurts you to talk about your parents. It's why I was so hesitant about telling you."

"But it's not about me, not this time. I've lived my whole life knowing my parents are dead, but you... you just found out that both your soulmates are dead. How are you handling it now that you've had some time to think about it? Are you okay?"

"When did you get so mature, Harry?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Well, I had to grow up at some point, you know."

They laughed together then, both knowing that Harry would probably never grow up completely. It was part of his charm. They put the conversation behind them then, talking about other things. She teased him a bit about when he was going to propose to Daphne. He sputtered a bit and his ears turned red, causing her to giggle. He then said something that surprised her a little.

"I've already got a ring hidden away in my room."

"You what?"

"Sirius took me down to Gringotts, and I picked a family piece from the Potter vault. And speaking of the Potter vault –"

"Harry... don't."

"Hermione, you are my sister. I know Sirius and Remus are leaving everything to us equally, but I want you to have half the Potter estate too."

"Harry, I can't take your money. It's not right."

"It is right, Hermione. No more arguments as it's already done anyway since I knew you would object. I feel like it rightfully belongs to you just as much as it does to me."

"Harry, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just promise me you'll use it for more than just books," he teased.

"Love you, Harry. Let me know if you need any help with your proposal speech. I know how much you hate speeches," she teased.

"Love you too, Hermione."

He left then, throwing her a boyish grin as he did. Harry could be so unpredictable at times, and she wasn't sure what prompted him to hand over half the Potter estate. Of course, she figured it had something to do with his father being her soulmate, but she didn't want to push it. After all, if she succeeded in getting James and Regulus back, she would just pass it back to James.

With a sad sigh, she retrieved her papers from under the pillow and went back to work.

* * *

Another week went by and most of that time she spent in her room running equations. She had decided to use Arithmancy in hopes it would help tell her the best way and time to complete the ritual, and she thanked Merlin that it had been her favorite subject in Hogwarts. She spent hours and hours a day running equation after equation, hoping to find something helpful.

So far, the best outcome she had calculated showed a 52% success rate. That was not good enough in her opinion, and she was convinced she was missing something. She was just tidying up, as there were literally papers on every surface, to take a quick break when Sirius came around looking for her.

"Hermione, you've barely left the house in the past weeks. Get up and get dressed. We are going to Diagon Alley."

"But, Sirius –"

"No trying to get out of it. I need some company. You have ten minutes and if you are not down by then, I will come get you. It will not be pretty."

"Fine," she huffed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She really was not in the mood to go out, but she conceded that Sirius was right that she should get out of the house. Some fresh air might do her some good. Getting up, she changed her clothes into something a bit more acceptable for outside the house and charmed her hair slightly so it wouldn't fly everywhere.

Bounding down the stairs, she noticed Sirius looked somewhat surprised that he didn't have to drag her out of her room.

"All ready then?"

She nodded, and they made their way to the Floo to go to the Leaky. When she stepped out, she as immediately hit by the loudness. The place was full, witches and wizards packed in like sardines. Sirius took her arm to help guide her through the crowd, glaring at any wizard who dared to look her way. Normally, this would bother her, but she just wanted to get out of there.

Once they made it through the crowd and into the Alley, Sirius led her straight to the bookstore. Knowing that Flourish and Blotts was probably his least favorite store in the Alley, she sent him a questioning look. His answering grin made her laugh, knowing then that he was doing it just for her. That was one of the things she loved about him; he always knew how to cheer you up and would do anything to accomplish it, even if it was something he hated.

She spent an hour browsing the stacks, grateful now that she let Sirius drag her out of the house. He hadn't even bugged her once about when she would be ready to leave. She was about to go find him to put him out of his misery when a voice drawled behind her.

"Granger. Still in the land of the living, I see."

Turning, she saw Draco standing there, that annoying, everlasting smirk on his face. Before she could berate him for daring to bring that up in public, she noticed that Sirius was standing right next to them, looking furious.

Shit.

"Is that a threat against my daughter, cousin?" Sirius asked, his voice low and deadly. Hermione watched with some amusement as Draco's face drained of any colour (not that he had much to begin with). He might strut around the Wizarding World like he had no fear, but she knew very well that there was one thing that Draco was very, very afraid of. And it wasn't ferrets.

It was Sirius Black.

"I... what... of course not! I would... never!" he stuttered.

"Then what, exactly, did you mean by such a comment directed at my daughter?"

"Nothing! I swear!"

As much as she enjoyed seeing Draco sweat, she decided to help him out. She didn't want to deal with a freak out of Malfoy proportions.

"Sirius, calm down. It was just a little inside joke that Malfoy and I have with each other. He meant no harm at all. Right, Draco?"

"Right! Just an inside joke, really!"

Sirius eyed them both warily, clearly not believing either one of them. Which was just as well, since they were both lying through their teeth.

"Let's go visit George over at the joke shop, Sirius. Malfoy, always a pleasure, of course," she said as she steered Sirius out of the bookstore, half dragging him because he kept turning around to shoot death glares at Draco.

Thankfully, a visit to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes always distracted Sirius. It was his favorite place to in Diagon Alley, after all. She, on the other hand, hated going into that store. Not because, contrary to popular belief, she disliked jokes, but rather because Ron was often there helping out his brother. And she tried as hard as she could to avoid him. It was sad to her, really. They had been best friends, but once the war was done, he changed. He suddenly thought that she belonged to him, that he was entitled to her (as if she was nothing but a bit of property).

Needless to say, that did not go over well with her, and they had a huge row which ended with Ron saying some fairly awful things, things she didn't like to think about. He then blamed her when Harry took her side in things. Some days, she felt bad that she no longer had her friendship with Ron, but on other days it felt like a relief.

She browsed a bit while she waited for Sirius, enjoying the colorful displays. He found her about ten minutes later, and she was thankful that he did not take too long. After grabbing a quick bite to eat for dinner, they returned home and she headed straight for her bedroom. She hoped the break and time away from the house would give her a clear head. Maybe she would finally be able to figure out the error in her calculations.

Maybe now she would finally get it right.

* * *

Sirius watched Hermione head back to her bedroom as soon as they entered the house, concern radiating throughout his body. He was tempted to follow her and try to get more information out of her about his cousin's statement. He didn't get a chance to do so as he was stopped by a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around his waist.

"What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing."

"Sirius..."

He sighed.

"Fine. Let's go to the kitchen. I could use a cup of tea."

Remus puttered around the kitchen, putting on a kettle, while Sirius sat down at the table. Once the tea was finished, Remus joined him, sliding a mug towards him. He pulled his own mug of hot chocolate towards him, and Sirius saw him watching him with an expectant look on his face. Finally, it appeared Remus could not take the silence any longer.

"Well?"

"I'm worried about Hermione."

"Did your outing today not cheer her up?"

"It did, I think. But... something odd happened."

Remus said nothing, just giving him a look that clearly told him to get on with it.

"We were in the bookstore and ran into Draco Malfoy. He said something that he didn't mean for me to overhear, and I just... I don't know, Remus."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He said, 'Granger. Still in the land of the living, I see.'"

"He said what?" Remus growled, and his eyes flashed yellow.

"Exactly. I asked if he was threatening her, but they both maintained it was some sort of inside joke. Besides, that boy nearly pisses himself whenever he is in my presence. I doubt he would try to kill her. But I don't believe it was an inside joke either. You don't think... that... "

"That she's thinking of killing herself? No, I don't think she would do that. But still, maybe I should talk to her, just to be certain."

"I just wish I never made her do this. This is all my fault, Remus."

"Sirius, we talked about this. No one blames you."

"I know that, but I blame myself. I'm going up to bed. I'll see you there," he said as he left, winking at Remus. Even when he was upset, he never lost the flirting side of himself.

As he walked up the stairs and passed Hermione's door, he stopped and briefly considered trying to talk to her again. Deciding it was better left to Remus, he continued on, unable to shake the feeling that Hermione was planning something that she shouldn't be.

* * *

AN: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. All the support really means a lot to me! I promise I will catch up with reviews soon

Thanks to Raybe for the beta. I hope you all enjoy this chapter so please, read and review!

The virtual cookie goes to ndavis77, for correctly guessing the movie the quote came from. It was the Mummy. :)


	6. Chapter 6

A loud, excited shout echoed through her room as she slammed the book shut. Finally, she figured out the solution to her problem. She had been trying to interweave Runes within the ritual, thinking it would increase her chances of being successful. Knowing she was on the right track, she had been getting increasingly frustrated when it didn't seem to be working as well as she thought it should.

At first, she tried every combination of Runes that would yield positive results that she could think of. The results were promising, but not good enough. Then it hit her, maybe she didn't need all these runes, maybe just one would work. And it did!

It did, however, take her a few tries to find the right Rune she should use. Using Gebo alone, the Rune of love and partnership, increased her results from a 52% chance of success to 70%. When she saw those results, she was thrilled but knew (hoped) she could get better results with a different Rune. Jera, the Rune of success and continuity, worked even better than Gebo with a 75% chance of success. She got the best result when she tried Othila, the Rune of family, home, and acquisition. That Rune gave her an 82% chance of success.

She could work with that.

She finally had the whole ritual completed, and she was incredibly happy that it looked likely that it would be a success. Not only was she going to get her soulmates back, but Sirius and Harry were going to be so happy. Now she had to decide when she was going to do this.

Figuring the two absolute best days to go to the veil were Samhain and Beltane, she began to make her plans on how she was going to get into the veil room without questions. Two were two of the most important days to magical people, and she thought it would be a positive factor to do it on one of those days. She did not want to wait until Beltane as it was too far away, but Samhain was just a mere week away. Samhain it was.

She knew she could do this. She _had_ to do this.

* * *

A week later found her sneaking into the Ministry of Magic. Well, not sneaking exactly. She was perfectly within her rights to wander around the Ministry if she so pleased. It must have been the glamours she applied before going that made her feel like a criminal sneaking about, but she really didn't want anyone to recognize her. Luckily since it was so late in the work day, there was not a lot of people around. She made her way straight to where she knew the veil room was, walking with confidence as if she had every right to be there. No-one paid her any mind.

As she approached the door, she noticed a tall, dark-haired wizard standing in front of it, looking slightly ill at ease. His eyes darted from corner to corner, and he kept fiddling with the edges of his robe sleeves. It was clear that he did not want to be there. Catching her eye, he nodded at her and said, "Are you here at the request of a friend?"

"A ferret sent me."

A wide grin crossed his face at her words.

"How did you get Malfoy to agree to that phrase?"

"Oh, it wasn't hard."

She was lying, a bit. Draco had not been happy nor was he very willing to help her again.

" _Malfoy, please. I need your help."_

" _Granger, you requiring my help is going to get me killed. I've already given you my blood, witch. What more can you possibly want from me?"_

" _I need a way into the veil room without raising any questions."_

" _Oh, is that all? And why do you think I can help you with that?"_

 _She said nothing, merely arched an eyebrow at him and refrained from calling him stupid. He huffed._

" _Okay, fine. I may have a contact there that could assist you. But I am not going to."_

" _Draco… please."_

 _He sighed at her pleading, and she knew he would agree. He hemmed and hawed for a few minutes before finally giving in._

" _Fine. But know this, if your father kills me over this, I am coming back as a ghost to haunt you for the rest of your life. That man hates me."_

" _Thank you. I'll await your owl. I need to be able to get in there on Samhain, so we do not have much time."_

" _Samhain! That's in less than a week!"_

" _I know you can do it. Thanks, Draco," she said cheerfully as she left quickly before he could argue with her._

He had come through for her, even if he was pissed off at her suggested phrase. If there was one thing he hated, it was being reminded of his brief time as a ferret. She would be lucky if he was even still speaking to her after this.

"I appreciate you helping me," she said to the wizard, who then motioned to her to follow him.

"Well, I didn't want to, but unfortunately I owed Malfoy a favor. He called it in, and I couldn't say no. I could lose my position for letting you in here."

"Don't worry, your name will never come up, especially since I don't even know it. If I get caught, I'll just say I was able to get past the wards and that I snuck in."

"What makes you think you would have been able to get past these wards? No-one will believe that."

"I have no doubts I would be able to get the wards down, but it would take too much time. And time is something I do not have."

He looked at her as if he didn't believe her, which was just as well. She still had her glamour on, and she thought it was better if he didn't know who she was. When they reached the door, the wizard stopped.

"Here we are. I will let you in and give you twenty minutes. If you are not out in that time, I will come and escort you out. I cannot risk having you in there for any longer than that lest someone find us."

She agreed, and he lowered the wards on the door and pushed it open. As she walked through the door, she saw the veil standing tall in the middle of the room. She approached it slowly, apprehensively. She could not lie to herself; she was scared. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she placed her bag on the floor and got to work.

She combined half the vial of Draco's blood with some of her own that she had taken from herself earlier that day. With the blood mixture, she drew a pattern of seven Runes, all of Othila, in front of veil. Next came the hard part. She had to throw the other half of Draco's blood directly onto the veil itself. It had to be mixed with hers, but there was one key difference.

Hers had to be taken from her body right then.

With a shuddering sigh, she took a knife from her bag and steadied herself. This was it, there was no going back from here. With her love for Harry and Sirius in her mind and heart, she dragged the blade across her chest, right above where her heart was. It burned, but she paid no mind to the pain as she let the blood flow freely.

Little did she know, she had cut herself a bit too deeply.

With her blood flowing freely, she collected what she needed and mixed it with Draco's. As she threw it onto the veil, she began the chant she had already memorized. As she spoke, she waved her wand in the exact movements as the book had stated.

"Iures postulo fati Deam converteret mates animae meae, de hac terra etiam mane. Commodo vocationem meam accipere sanguinem victimae meae."*

On the last spoken word, her wand was pointed straight at the veil. A jet of bright purple flew from her wand and hit the veil. The result was a bright, blinding, and pulsating light that pushed her backwards. The blast greatly weakened her, and her last thought before losing consciousness was that she hoped this worked.

* * *

* I call on the Goddess of Fate to bring back my soul's mates, taken from this Earth too early. Please heed my call and accept the blood of my sacrifice.

Thanks to Liza for her help. This chapter is a bit shorter than normal. I hope you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter. :)

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! Let me know in the reviews if there's anything you want to see in the story.


	7. Chapter 7

Sirius was in his study, going over the mass of paperwork that the House of Black generated. He could fully admit that this was one aspect of being in charge of his House that he hated. Paperwork could go to the devil for all he cared. He had just finished signing off on a Gringotts vault transfer request when a St. Mungo's notification Patronus landed right on his desk. His heart immediately dropped into his stomach.

"Lord Sirius Black, as Pater to the Black family, it is our duty to inform you that your daughter, Hermione Lupin-Black, has been admitted to St. Mungo's with life-threatening injuries. Please –"

A loud screech sounded throughout the room as Sirius pushed himself back from his desk and stood. He was out of his study and in front of St. Mungo's before the Patronus was even finished talking. He stormed the front waiting room, looking every inch the crazy person that the majority of the Wizarding still thought he was. The receptionist jumped as he slammed his hands down on the counter.

"Hermione Lupin-Black. Where is she?"

"R–room 394. But sir, you can't just –"

He ignored her as he rushed past the counter towards the elevators. Unwilling to wait for one, he changed into Padfoot and ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He skidded to a stop right in front of room 394 and quickly changed back to his human self. Wasting no time, he threw open the door, only to see Hermione laying on a bed. Her eyes were closed and her skin was as pale as a vampire's. He sucked in a deep breath when he noticed her slightly blue lips.

No. Good gods, no.

He hesitated, before walking over to her bed and dropping down to his knees. Taking her hand in his, trying to ignore how cold it was, he stayed there with his heart breaking. An inhuman wail echoed throughout the room as he stood up, the hand that had been holding Hermione's forming into a fist that met the wall. This wasn't supposed to happen; his kids were supposed to be happy and live full lives after all the horrors they had already seen.

"Lord Black?"

He whirled around to face the interloper to his grief.

"What?"

"I'm Healer Smith, the healer in charge of Miss Lupin-Black's case."

"Good. Maybe you can tell me why my daughter is dead."

"Dead? Oh no, sir. She's not dead."

"Do you not have eyes? That is not the appearance of someone who is alive."

"I realize that, Lord Black. To be honest, we are all quite stumped. Other than the fact that her magical core is quite low and her current state of unconsciousness, she is perfectly healthy."

"Then why is she not awake?"

"We…um… we don't know. We have a whole team working to figure this out, as well as some Unspeakables."

"That is not good enough. I want more… wait. Unspeakables? Why are they involved?"

"She was found in the Department of Mysteries, bleeding out in front of the veil. Luckily, one of the Unspeakables was doing a closing round and found her. Or she most certainly would have died. I promise you, we are doing all we can."

He thanked the healer, returning to Hermione's bedside, but not before he sent off a Patronus to Remus.

* * *

 _Brightness._

 _It was all that encompassed her, and she could not see two inches in front of her face. She felt like she was floating with no concept of direction. But neither the extreme brightness nor the floating were her main concerns._

 _It was the coldness._

 _It was cold here, wherever 'here' was. It felt as if the place was over-run with Dementors that had sucked all possible warmth away. She didn't know why she was there, or what she was supposed to be doing. Suddenly she heard a very faint sound in the otherwise completely silent space._

" _Come find me. I've been waiting."_

 _Just what was going on here?_

 _She willed her body to move in the direction she heard the voice. There seemed to be no sense of time in this space so she had no idea how long it took before she noticed something was beginning to change. The brightness that was so prevalent before seemed to be dimming somewhat. Before long (she thought), it cleared enough that she was able to see about ten feet in front of her._

 _That was when she noticed him._

 _He was standing there, looking at her curiously, almost as if he had never seen another person before. Or maybe as if he hadn't seen another person in a very long time. His slightly wavy, deep black hair and grey eyes gave his identity away._

 _Regulus Black._

 _She approached him slowly. When she stood right in front of him, he lifted a hand and reached out to her. His movements were hesitant, like he was expecting her to disappear._

 _She wasn't so sure she wouldn't._

" _Who are you?" he asked, his voice low and raspy from disuse._

" _My name is Hermione. Will you come with me?"_

 _He wavered slightly, as if he might refuse. Finally, he nodded and he took her outstretched hand as she led them back into the brightness._

* * *

Sirius hadn't moved from Hermione's side since Healer Smith left the room. In that time, a few healers had been in and out of the room, occasionally running diagnostic spells over her.

There was no change in her condition.

He jumped when the door to her room flew open, hitting the opposite wall with a loud bang. Turning to yell at whoever was inconsiderate enough to make such a racket, his voice died when he saw Remus standing there.

"Sirius? What… she… oh gods, is she…?"

"She's alive, Remus. The healers have no idea what is wrong with her. Apparently, there is nothing wrong with her besides a low magical core. And the fact that she looks dead."

"Thank Merlin," Remus said, letting out a long breath as if he had been holding it in. Sirius flung himself at Remus, burying his nose into Remus' neck. The two men took their comfort in the other before both going to sit by Hermione's bedside.

"What happened, Sirius?"

"I don't know. The healer told me she was found bleeding out in front of the veil. The only reason she's still alive is that some Unspeakable found her."

"The veil? What in Godric's name was she doing there? The veil was never one of her favorite things to talk about, especially after how you almost went through it. She knows that messing about with it is usually a surefire to die!"

Remus' words triggered something in Sirius' mind. He thought back to that day when he had forced Hermione to go to Diagon Alley with him, and they had run into Malfoy.

" _Granger. Still in the land of the living, I see."_

Suddenly, Malfoy's words to Hermione on that day were all he could think about, and they repeated over and over again in his mind.

That fucking bastard.

He _knew_ something. He knew that Hermione was planning something, something dangerous, and had kept it to himself. Standing up quickly, he made the decision to make a little visit to his cousin.

"Sirius, where are you going? Have you even told Harry yet?"

"I'm going to pay my cousin a visit. He knows something, I'm sure of it. Don't tell Harry just yet; I want some more information before we do that. Stay with Hermione; I'll be back shortly."

Before Remus could attempt to talk him out of leaving, he was already out the door. Thankfully, he had reconciled with Narcissa after the war, and her husband had been sent to Azkaban. Because of this, he had Floo access to Malfoy Manor. Quickly making his way to the public Floo in the main waiting area of St. Mungo's, he called out his destination and was spit out in the front foyer of the Manor. Impatient enough to not want to look through the entire Manor looking for Malfoy, he called for the family elf.

"Where is your master?"

"Master be in his study."

Thanking the elf (Hermione would not be happy otherwise), he turned left and walked to where he knew Lucius' old study was. He figured the boy would have taken it over. Once he reached it, he gave a short knock and, not waiting for any response, walked in. As soon as Malfoy saw him, he began sputtering. Sirius held up a hand to stop him and said, "Hermione is in St. Mungo's. She almost died today, and I know you know why. You will tell me. Right now."

"I… I… "

"Spit it out, boy. Tell me what is going on, right now! Or I will make you sorry you were ever born."

"How do you know I'm not already?"

That was the first coherent sentence Malfoy had ever spoken in his presence. If he wasn't so worried about Hermione, he might be impressed.

"What do you know about Hermione?"

"I… I can't tell you, I'm sorry."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the boy and wondered how many years he would get in Azkaban for killing him.

"You can't tell me, or you won't tell me?"

"I can't. I swear… I would tell you if I could."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the boy, trying to judge his sincerity. Determining that Malfoy was too afraid of him to risk lying, especially about Hermione, he figured he was telling the truth. It was just like Hermione to require a Vow about information she did not want others to know.

"Is she… is she going to be okay?"

Sirius sighed, suddenly fighting an overwhelming tiredness that washed over him.

"I don't know. But if she dies and I find out you had anything to do with it…"

He let his threat remain unspoken; it was more effective that way. He stormed out then, upset that he didn't get the answers he wanted, and went back to sit by Hermione's side.

* * *

 _They walked together, the brightness seemingly everlasting. If it wasn't for the fact that she could feel the solidness of his hand in hers, she would have no idea that he was walking besides her. She didn't know how long they walked before she heard the same words as before._

" _Come find me. I've been waiting."_

 _The brightness started to lift again (but not the coldness, Merlin, she was so cold). And then there he was, standing there as if he had been waiting his whole life for her to find him._

 _James Potter._

 _Knowing what she knew about the two men, she discretely glanced at both to gauge their reactions, but neither seemed to notice the other._

 _Odd._

" _Will you come with me?" she asked._

 _There was no hesitation with him as he immediately took her unclaimed hand, not even asking her who she was._

 _Hand and hand with both her soulmates, they walked back into the brightness._

* * *

Two days later, Sirius was still camped out on one side of Hermione's bed with Remus sitting across from him. They had forced Daphne to take Harry home a few hours ago so he could get some sleep. All four of them were completely exhausted and spent from worry. Hermione's condition had not changed at all, even though the barrage of Healers working her case insisted she was perfectly fine. The latest scan showed that her magical core was nearly back to the full level. They were all hopeful that as soon as her core recovered that she would wake up.

Sirius squirmed in the uncomfortable chair that the hospital provided, not even magic helping to make it more comfortable. He was jealous that Remus was snoring softly. He swore that man could sleep anywhere. Time seemed to slow to a stop, but finally Sirius was able to nod off himself. At that exact moment, two things happened at once.

Hermione finally awoke.

And deep in the bowels of the Ministry, two pairs of eyes snapped open in the Veil room.

* * *

Thanks to Raybe for the beta duties.

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! Let me know in the reviews if there's anything you want to see in the story. :)


	8. Chapter 8

It was a struggle to get her eyes open. Her whole body felt heavy - as if someone was laying on her. She tried to move and instantly groaned as pain radiated through her chest. Her eyes slowly took in the scene in front of her. The room was dim but not completely dark so she was able to see Remus sleeping on one side of her and Sirius on the other. She was also very aware of who was _not_ in the room.

James and Regulus.

Defeated, she let her eyes slide shut and a soft sigh escaped her mouth. Judging by the way she felt, she had injured herself trying to get them back. And it was a failure. She had to know what happened.

"Sirius," she called to him and immediately winced at how weak and hoarse her voice sounded. Luckily, Sirius was not a heavy sleeper (which is why she choose to call out to him and not Remus) and he woke with a start, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Hermione! Thank Merlin, you're awake. We've been so worried! Remus! Remus, wake up!" Sirius shouted, before walking around the bed to shake Remus awake.

"What? What is it, Sirius? I was trying to get some sleep."

"Remus," Hermione said, holding out her hand to him.

"Hermione! Thanks the gods. How are you feeling? Do we need to call for the Healer?"

"I feel like shit, in all honestly. What happened? Why am I here?"

She watched as Sirius and Remus exchanged a worried look. Remus cleared his throat before saying, "Don't you remember? We were kind of hoping you could tell us. What were you doing near the Veil, Hermione?"

"I was… doing something stupid, apparently."

"Hermione…" Sirius nearly growled.

"I was trying to bring back James and Regulus," she said, the words spilling from her quickly as she braced for what she knew was going to be a Sirius Explosion.

She was not disappointed.

"You what?! What in Godric's name were you thinking? How could you do –"

Sirius' ranting was cut off as Remus dragged him from the room, muttering something about getting a Healer to check her over. A deep sadness overtook her then as she thought more about how the ritual failed. She had been so sure, _so sure_ , that she had it right. That it would be a success.

How did it all go so wrong?

Before she could ponder it for much longer, a very loud pop reverberated throughout her room, startling her from her thoughts. There, standing right in front of her hospital bed and not looking entirely happy, was James and Regulus. The two stood there, staring at her (and decidedly not looking at each other). As she stared back, bits and pieces of the time she spent unconscious began to come back to her. She wondered if they remembered as well.

"Um… hi?"

"Who are you? How did you manage such a feat?" Regulus demanded. She was a bit taken aback by his tone. It never really occurred to her that perhaps they wouldn't be happy about being pulled from the after-life.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked, softly.

"No, not really. I remember… your name. Hermione? Why did you do this?"

She looked between Regulus, whose face had softened some, and James, who still looked quite angry. She couldn't help but think that she may have made a huge mistake. Looking away, she answered him.

"My strings… they were black. Both of them."

The silence that followed her explanation was deafening. After a very long minute, she chanced a glance at the two wizards. James looked confused while Regulus looked gobsmacked. He took a small, tentative step towards her and then suddenly he was right by her side. He reached out slowly, as if he was afraid she wouldn't welcome his touch, before gently cupping her cheek.

"You were my blank string?" he asked, his tone having changed from demanding to soft, almost reverent. She nodded in response, and she was surprised when his face lit up with joy. From the little she had known about him, she had always assumed he was somewhat closed off.

"I really don't understand what is going on here. What are these strings you are talking about? And what is your full name?" James finally spoke up, sounded quite irritated.

"I thought your mother was a Black. You don't know about the strings?" Hermione asked.

Regulus scoffed and James sent him a glare so fierce she briefly worried Regulus might burst into flames from the intensity. James looked like he was going to say something else, so she spoke up instead.

"My name is Hermione Lupin-Black."

If the situation wasn't so serious, she might had laughed at the expressions on both of their faces.

"Moony and Pads?" James asked.

Before she could answer, the door slammed open and Remus and Sirius entered the room, arguing lowly between themselves. The argument came to an abrupt stop as soon as they realized there were two extra people in the room that shouldn't be there. Their wands were in their hands, at the ready, before she could say a thing.

"Imposters! You! Get away from my daughter!"

"Sirius–" she began.

"Daughter?"

"Moony? Pads? Wow, you two got really old!"

James took a step back, hands raised, as the other four people in the room turned all their attention to him. Hermione noticed that Remus was gripping Sirius' arm as if he was holding him back. If there was one thing Sirius hated, it was being called old.

"They aren't imposters," she said, pointingly ignoring James' outburst. "It worked. The ritual worked! I don't know how they found me, but it's really them."

"Wait. Hermione, are Remus and Sirius your fathers?" Regulus asked, seemingly ignoring the fact that his brother was in the room.

"Well, yes, but –"

"Oh, this is just wonderful. My soulmate is my fucking niece. My niece!"

"And here I thought you Blacks were into that kind of thing," James sneered.

"You shut your mouth, Potter, or I will shut it for you," Regulus sneered back. And then it seemed as if they all started talking at once. The volume increased until she could not take it anymore.

"Will everyone just shut up?" she shouted and immediately grabbed her chest as pain radiated from it. Three of the men immediately crowded around her, asking if she was okay. She tried to tell herself she was being ridiculous that it hurt that James didn't join them. Regulus, at least, had a firm grip on her hand.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on? One minute I'm stuck in perpetual whiteness and the next I'm laying at the base of the Veil, apparently many years later. Where's Lily? Is Harry okay?"

Hermione couldn't help but notice Regulus' face go white at the mention of Lily's name.

"Lily… Lily is dead. Harry is fine though. He's getting married soon. As to what is going on, I brought you and Regulus back because – "

"Because what? You thought you would have some fun messing about with dead wizards? Make your way through all the living ones already?"

Hermione gasped, not believing that someone that was supposedly her soulmate could be so hurtful.

"You bastard."

The words were spoken low, with a growl, and did not come from who she expected. It was Remus who grabbed James and slammed him up against the wall.

"Have some fucking respect, Potter!" Regulus hissed. "You're alive because of her. Do you really think your mudblood whore would be able to pull off something like this?"

It was then that all hell broke loose.

Hermione ripped her hand away from Regulus, but before he could say anything more, Sirius was flying at him. Before she knew it, all four men were fighting like a bunch of first years. The tears started falling then, the hurt from James and Regulus' words and the pain from her injuries too much for her. The noise increased, but she could only make out bits and pieces of what was being said. She did think she heard something about going back through the Veil in pieces, but she didn't know who had said that. Just when she thought she could take no more, a movement by the door to her room caught her eye.

It was Harry, staring at the melee with horrified eyes. Their eyes met and the horror in his dissipated, being replaced with concern. He swept in, ignoring the fact that there was fighting happening around him, and swooped Hermione up in his arms. Turning on his heels, he strode out of the room without a word to anyone.

* * *

Big thanks to Raybe for betaing duty, and Liza for her help with this chapter.

I realize that James is being a huge asshole here. Regulus isn't much better. The next chapter will be in their POV so we'll get a little insight so bare with me.

HUGE thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. I've been slacking on the individual, but I promise to be better. So leave a review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

All he felt was coldness. Not that that was anything different than he was used to, but this was different. Somehow. For one thing, the brightness was finally gone, replaced by darkness.

He wondered if he was finally in Hell.

Merlin knows he deserved to be there.

His brain felt fuzzy and his body hurt, which was odd. He knew he was dead while he floated around in the vast brightness, but this was something different, something new. He had never been in pain before, and he wondered if that was another sign that he had finally found his way to hell. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a low groan. His eyes snapped open.

Not only was he _not_ in hell (thank Merlin for that), he was not alone. There, on the ground next to him, was the absolute last person he ever thought he would see.

James Potter.

He couldn't help the stagger of his heart when he saw him. It still hurt, seeing his soulmate, knowing that James hated him. Moving slowly, he pulled himself up so that he was sitting instead of being sprawled on the ground and took in the room before him. He recognized it instantly, having been sent here once on a mission.

He was currently sitting in the Veil room. With James Potter. Just what the fuck was going on?

It was clear that he was no longer dead. How that was possible, he did not know. Perhaps some type of spell or ritual. As soon as he had that thought, that was when he felt it. It almost felt like a tugging, like someone had tied a string on him and was pulling on it. He could also feel it connecting him to James.

"What the hell?!"

The exclamation roused him from his thoughts, and he turned his attention back to James who was currently staring at him.

"Problem, Potter?" he asked, not able to help the bitterness that was immersed in his words.

"Yeah, I have a problem. Where the hell are we? How are we even here?"

"This is the Veil room in the Department of Mysteries."

"You would know that. You always did have to know everything."

"Well, I only know because I was here once for –"

He stopped himself before he could finish the rest of his thought, knowing that James would not like what he was about to say.

"Here for what? Doing a little mission for the psycho that killed me?"

Regulus winced at James' words. There wasn't even anything he could say, considering it was true. If only James would listen to him, if only he had forced him to listen.

Sometimes he felt as if his whole life was made up of 'if onlys'. Sighing, he held out his arm to James.

"Take my arm."

"I don't touch Death Eaters," James sneered.

"For fucks sake, Potter, just do as I say. The pull is getting stronger, and I can apparate us to the origin. Can't you feel it?"

"I can. I thought I was imagining it. What is it?"

"Let's go find out," he said, still holding out his arm to James. He tried to ignore the hurt he felt as James hesitated in taking it. As soon as James took his arm, he concentrated on the pulling and moments later they left the Veil room.

With a loud pop, they arrived in what appeared to be a room at St. Mungo's. James dropped his arm as if it burned him as soon as their feet hit the floor. Laying in the bed in front of them was a beautiful, somewhat sickly-looking, woman. He stared at her, unsure of what to say, and felt very uneasy.

"Um… hi?"

"Who are you? How did you manage such a feat?" he asked abruptly. He could tell that she was surprised by his tone but couldn't bring himself to care all that much at the moment. He just wanted to know what was going on.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked, softly.

"No, not really. I remember… your name. Hermione? Why did you do this?"

He watched as her gaze moved from his to James and then back to him. Lowering her eyes to her bed, she answered his question.

"My strings… they were black. Both of them."

Her strings? Surely, she couldn't mean… what he thought she meant. But if both her strings had been black, that meant her soulmates were both dead. Not only that, but it was very rare to have more than one soulmate. Could she have somehow found a way to bring back her soulmates from the Veil? It would certainly explain how and why he was standing here. She must be a very powerful witch to accomplish such a feat.

"You were my blank string?" he asked softly, now regretting the harsh tone he used before. He scowled at James' questions. The situation quickly escalated from there as Hermione said her full name, and his brother, along with his husband, barged into the room. Sirius had started shouting at them, not that that was surprising to him. Sirius was always a bit of a hothead. There was one thing we was stuck on, however.

He finally knew who his other soulmate was and wouldn't it just figure, it was his niece.

 _His niece_.

Of course, James just had to open his mouth.

"And here I thought you Blacks were into that kind of thing," James sneered.

"You shut your mouth, Potter, or I will shut it for you," he sneered back. It seemed as if they just couldn't help being nasty to each other.

He couldn't believe what happened next. James, the same James that used to say such sweet things to him, insinuated that their soulmate was a whore. Apparently he had already forgotten that she was the daughter of his two best friends. Remus took exception to his words and slammed James into the wall.

"Have some fucking respect, Potter!" he hissed, not able to help himself. "You're alive because of her. Do you really think your mudblood whore would be able to pull off something like this?"

The next thing he knew, Sirius was flying at him and he hit the floor. Fists and elbows were flying, and he could not make out the words that were being shouted. Someone's elbow hit him hard in the temple and all he knew then was blackness.

* * *

He had no idea where all this anger was coming from. Ever since he woke up in front of the Veil with Regulus Black laying across from him, he had felt… off. He was already thrown off balance by the fact that he was no longer dead but instead in an odd room with his former lover. Seeing Regulus again had caused his chest to tighten as he remembered what it used to be like between them before it all went wrong. But then that feeling was replaced by anger. And an odd sort of longing. What was confusing for him was that his feelings for Lily seemed to be fading. He didn't feel as in love with her as he did before. He wondered if that was a side effect of dying.

His anger, however, grew as they were suddenly in the room of some strange (albeit quite beautiful) woman. The anger that grew when he heard Regulus talk about some strings and then refer to the woman as his soulmate. Maybe this woman was the reason for his dwindling feelings for Lily. It manifested with him saying some truly awful things, things he wanted to smack himself for saying, yet couldn't seem to stop himself.

He had never felt so out of control.

The thought that he was insulting the daughter of his best friends never even entered his mind as he spewed his hatred at her. He really couldn't be surprised when Remus slammed him up against the wall. He barely registered the fact that Regulus called Lily a mudblood because as soon as he did the four of them were rolling around on the floor. Feeling weak, most likely from being brought back from the dead, it didn't take long before James found himself passing out.

Remus and Sirius looked at the two unconscious wizards on the floor.

"Think they are okay?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. After what they said, I'm not so sure I care. I'm more worried about… Hermione! Remus, Hermione is gone!"

He glared as Remus chuckled at him.

"I know. I saw Harry come in and leave with her while we were… otherwise occupied."

Sirius opened his mouth to ask why Remus let them go without saying anything but was interrupted by the door to the room opening. One of Hermione's Healers walked in.

"What in the world is going on in here? This is a hospital, not a…" she trailed off as she took in the two unconscious wizards on the floor. Her eyes wide, they flickered back and forth between Sirius and Remus and then to James and Regulus.

"Right. Well, some things happened and some things were said and then we were all fighting," Sirius rambled, only stopping when Remus held his hand up.

"These two men are the soulmates to our daughter, recently brought back from the Veil. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mind checking them over," Remus said. The Healer looked surprised at his words but said nothing as she conjured up two beds and levitated James and Regulus onto them. She started on Regulus first and within moments found him clear and in good health.

Moving on to James, Remus and Sirius were surprised when she repeated her wand movements over James three times. A perplexed look came over her face as she repeated the movements yet again.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sirius asked, getting nervous for his friend (even if he was acting like an arse).

"An abnormality keeps showing up when I test his blood. It seems as if there are lingering traces of a love potion in his blood. Amortentia it seems, judging from the color."

"Amortentia?" Remus asked.

"Are you… are you sure?" Sirius asked, as if he was afraid to know the answer.

"Quite sure. That's why I repeated the test multiple times. I had to make sure it wasn't a false reading. You can actually see that he had been on it for some time, but whoever was giving it to him must have stopped a few months before his death. It's been slowly making its way out of his body since."

Both Remus and Sirius were floored. There was only one person that they could think of that would give James a love potion. And that person wouldn't have had access to the potion in the months leading up to his death.

Lily.

"Are there any lasting side effects?"

"I'm going to give him a potion to flush it from his body, but once it's gone, he should be fine."

After she left to get the potion, Remus and Sirius just looked at each other, unsure of what to say or think. Remus thought that much of James' behavior before he died and his behavior since coming back now made more sense. He had always found it odd that James, who he knew deeply loved Regulus, jumped right into a relationship with Lily and proclaimed he was madly in love with her. He never did quite understand why James had married her.

It all made sense now.

Now they just had to break the news to James and the one person whose entire world could be destroyed by this new information.

Harry.

* * *

Thanks to Raybe for betaing and Liza for her help. Next chapter will start with what happened after Harry took Hermione out of the room.

Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I was completely blown away with the response (71 reviews on the last chapter!).

I do want to comment on one review I received that I could not response to privately. I enjoy triads/moresomes fics which is why I write them. I do not believe that polygamy is greedy nor do I subscribe to the fact that it's only possible to love only one person in a romantic way. That does not, however, mean that I think polygamy is somehow better than being monogamous. I do not. I very strongly believe that as long as everything is between consenting adults, then you do whatever makes you happy.

Please read and review. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione held onto Harry tightly as he carried her through the hallway to where she knew there was an apparition point. She knew that she shouldn't be surprised that none of the Healers tried to stop him (he was Harry fucking Potter, after all), but she was a bit amazed that they just let him take her. Someone needed to talk to them about their safety protocol.

He apparated them both home and after the initial nausea from it had passed, she was glad to be there. Certainly anything was better than sitting ignored in a hospital bed while both your fathers fought with your soulmates.

Now there is a sentence she never thought she would think.

Harry took her straight upstairs to her room and laid her gently onto her bed. She watched, amused, as he fussed a bit and covered her with a blanket and handed her the fluffiest pillow he could find.

"What was happening in there, Hermione? It looked more like a scene out of a movie than a hospital room."

She really did _not_ want to tell him. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was hurt Harry, and she knew that this would hurt him greatly. Could she tell him the nasty things his father said to her?

"How is Daphne doing? You'll have to tell her to stop by once I've recovered a bit more. How are the plans for the wedding coming along? Did you decide on a venue yet?" she asked, in what she knew was a poor attempt at deflection. He didn't even bother to answer, just merely arched an eyebrow in a move that always reminded her of Draco (not that she would ever tell him that), and gave her a look that clearly asked if she thought he was stupid.

No, regardless of what people thought, Harry was not stupid. And he saw much more than people expected.

"Harry, please. I really don't want to talk about this."

"Too bad. Because I really want to know why someone that looked a great deal like me and someone who looked a great deal like Sirius were on the ground fighting with Sirius and Remus."

"I found this book. Or I rather think the book found me. I was in the library and it pretty much fell on me. According to Dr – um, someone I know, the book is supposedly a myth. But this book… it had this ritual in it. A ritual to bring back souls from the Veil."

"Oh, Hermione. You risked your life to bring back Regulus and my father?"

She said nothing, could say nothing. Instead, her head fell forward and tears began leaking from her eyes again. And then Harry's arms were surrounding her and pulling her tightly into his chest. He ran his hand through her hair in a soothing motion, much as she used to do to him back in Hogwarts when things got tough.

There were too many of those times to count.

"It was awful, Harry! I mean, I didn't think that they would show up and everything would be fantastic right off. But it was so, so much worse than I thought it would be. Regulus was okay… at first, but your father… he was…"

"Mean and horrible?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm well aware of my father's not-so-nice side. Snape liked to remind me of it quite often. I'm just sorry he directed that towards you."

"I don't know what to do, Harry. I just… I just wanted to have what you have with Daphne. What Sirius and Remus have together. But one of my soulmates seems to hate me and the other called another Muggleborn a Mudblood."

"He said what?" Harry hissed, his voice low, anger entrenched in every word.

"Don't get mad. It certainly wasn't the worst thing said between the two of them. And no, I'm not going to tell you more so don't bother asking."

Luckily for her, Harry knew when to let things drop and did not ask any further questions.

"I'm tired, Harry. Will you lay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course I will."

It did not take long before sleep overtook her.

* * *

Harry was _furious_. Those two… bastards should have been grateful that Hermione cared enough to almost sacrifice herself to bring them back. Instead, he had to carry her out of her room sobbing because they were acting like complete arseholes. He wanted to go rip them a new one, but he also didn't want to leave Hermione alone, even if she was sleeping.

A loud bang startled him and following the sound had him finding Sirius in the kitchen making some tea. One look told him that Sirius was barely keeping his anger contained. Sirius gestured for Harry to sit at the table and slid him a cup of tea, prepared just the way he liked it. He then joined him at the table and asked, "Is Hermione okay?"

"About as well to be expected, I suppose. No thanks to those two arseholes."

"She told you then? I thought Remus was going to rip James' throat out when he called her a Death Eater whore."

"He said what?! All she said was that one of them said Mudblood!"

'Oh shit,' Sirius thought. He really needed to start listening to Remus and learn how to keep his big yap shut.

Harry was up and out of the room before Sirius could even attempt to stop him. He sighed warily and rather than chase after Harry, he decided to go do what he came home for.

Check on Hermione.

* * *

Remus ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and tugged. Looking between the two wizards that could not seem to stop glaring at each other, he just felt… tired. And frustrated. The full moon was less than a week away, and he was stuck in a room with two petulant babies.

"Remus?"

"Reg."

"Could you… could you tell me about Hermione? How long after you were married before she came along? Did you or Sirius carry her? I'm sorry I never got the chance to –"

"Chance to what? Get married? Who would want to marry Death Eater scum like you? Now, Lily, she was someone worth marrying. I asked her to marry me after two months with my mother's ring. A Black family ring."

Regulus said nothing, only ripped the covers off him and got up from the bed that had been transfigured for him. With only a look of disgust aimed at James, he strode out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Remus shut his eyes in defeat.

"For fucks sake, James! Could you please just keep your mouth shut lest you continue to make this problem worse?"

Before James could respond, the door opened violently. Remus, thinking it was Regulus coming back, braced himself for what he was sure to be a nasty fight. However, looking at the wizard in the door frame, he was surprised to see that it wasn't Regulus standing there, but Harry.

And he was furious.

His hair was standing straight up on its end, a sure sign that he was this close to losing his control on his magic. He had his wand, which was emitting sparks, in his hand and it was pointed right at James' chest.

"Harry? Is that you, my boy? What are you –"

" _How dare you?_ "

The words stopped James in his tracks as he was attempting to get out of bed.

"How dare you speak to my sister in that way? One of the only people in this world to always be there for me. She's been there for me when _you_ weren't. I… I am ashamed that you are my father."

Remus watched, sadness shining in his eyes, as Harry turned and left the room, knowing he left so suddenly as to not risk losing control. Turning his gaze to James, he found the wizard sitting on the bed, looking quite devastated. Remus thought he caught a glimpse of tears in his eyes. He knew it must have been like a knife through his heart to hear those words come from his only son.

"James…"

"Remus, what's wrong with me? I don't know why I'm acting like this. I don't understand what is going on with me."

Remus' heart sank at the desperation he heard in James' voice.

"There might be an explanation for your behavior," Remus said with a sigh. How was he going to tell one of his best friends that his wife, who he thought he loved, had really been drugging him with love potions? He wished Sirius was still there. Sirius would just come right out and say it.

"What is it, Remus? Tell me! Please!"

"Love potions."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Lily… she was giving you love potions. We don't know for how long, but we suspect throughout the entirety of your relationship with her."

Out of all the possible reactions he imagined James would have to this news, laughter was not one of them. He stared in disbelief as James doubled over on the bed, clutching his sides as he laughed.

"That's a good one, Moony. Like Lily would ever give me love potions! She didn't need to; I've loved her since first year!"

"Have you though?"

"What? Of course I have! Remember, I declared in first year that she would be my wife one day, and I asked her out every month from there."

"Hmmm, yes, that is true. Except I distinctly remember a period of time when you stopped asking her all together and paid her no mind. In fact, I think you actually starting dating someone else and all but ignored Lily. A certain someone who just so happens to be my brother-in-law."

He watched as James' face paled, and his eyes turned downcast.

"I don't know what you are talking about," James whispered, although Remus was able to hear him quite clearly.

"You do know exactly what I'm talking about. James, I know about Regulus. He told me all about it. Made me take a vow to never tell Sirius."

They sat in silence for a few moments after Remus dropped that bomb on James. Remus could clearly see that James was in turmoil. He was clenching and unclenching his fist; his face turning from pale to bright red.

"That bitch," James hissed, low and deep. His face got even redder, and Remus was worried that he just might explode when his expression changed. Suddenly, his face was no longer red, and he rather looked like he was going to pass out again.

"James? Are you okay?" he asked, thinking that was rather a silly question. Of course he wasn't okay.

"Does Harry know?"

"No, not yet. The only people that know are you, me, and Sirius."

"Oh, gods. Oh, Merlin. How in the hell am I going to tell Harry that his mother gave me love potions?"

"So, you believe me then?"

"I do. I know, deep down, that you wouldn't lie to me, not about something like this. I just… didn't want to believe it."

"Understood. We didn't want to believe it either. And we'll tell Harry and Hermione together. It will be easier that way."

"What does Hermione have to do with this? I know she's your daughter, Remus, but this doesn't really have anything to do with her."

"Oh, James. This has _everything_ to do with her."

* * *

AN: Sincere apologies for the wait. I was traveling for a wedding I was in and things are not going well for me at home. No worries though, I won't stop writing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and after this we will start to see more interaction between Hermione, Regulus, and James. Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. A big thank you to Raybe for betaing and Liza for all her help.

And just a reminder, if you don't like reading about triads and multi-pairings, just... don't.

On that note, I'll have a Christmas Collection up soon with the pairing of Hermione/Theo/Neville (yes, really). And a question to my readers, if you could pick one of my one-shots that you would like to see continued, what would it be?

Please read and review!


	11. Chapter 11

It was the feeling that someone was staring at her that had her waking up with a start, wand in her hand. Her eyes met Harry's, and she instantly lowered her arm.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I still sleep with my wand on me as well. I only wish that we didn't feel the need to anymore."

"I know. You haven't been here this whole time, have you? How long have I been sleeping?"

"You slept the rest of the day and all night. And no, I haven't been here the whole time. I had some things to do, people to see."

"Oh? How is Daphne doing? I hope you haven't been neglecting her because of me."

"What? Of course not. She understands, anyway."

The fact that he couldn't seem to meet her eyes told her that he was hiding something from her.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"What did you do?"

Harry sighed.

"I never could keep anything from you. I went to visit my father," he said, bitterness evident in his tone.

"Oh, Harry."

"I just… I'm so disappointed in him, Hermione. And he looked so happy to see me. He recognized me instantly, even though I'm just about his own age. I just… always thought I would feel overjoyed to have my family back, but my father is nothing but a giant prat."

"He can't be all that bad, Harry."

"How can you say that? How can you say that after what he called you?"

"How did you… never mind. Sirius never could keep his mouth shut. But Harry, I honestly don't believe that he is as bad as he is acting. If he was, Sirius and Remus wouldn't have been like brothers to him, and he wouldn't be my soulmate."

"I hope you are right."

"I hope I am too. It will be okay."

A pounding on her door startled them both, and Harry's face turned slightly red at the noise.

"Harry?"

"Um, right. You might have a visitor, or something."

"A visitor? Who would –"

Before she could finish, her door flew open to reveal a brassed off Draco Malfoy.

"Damn it, Potter, I told you not to leave me alone in this house for long. Granger, thank Merlin you are awake. Potter, get out."

"Look, Malfoy, I don't know why you are here, but you can't just come in here and start ordering people around. This isn't your house."

"Harry, it is fine. I need to talk to Malfoy."

Harry eyed them, suspicion clear in his eyes. He left, however, and as soon as he shut the door behind him, Draco nearly knocked her over.

"Thank Merlin you are not dead. I can't believe you actually went through with it," he murmured into her hair. Hermione, taken completely by surprise by his uncharacteristic physical behavior, patted his back and then gently pushed him away.

"I didn't know you cared so much, cousin."

"Please. I'll have you know that your father showed up at the Manor and threatened my very existence if you died. I was merely concerned for my own well-being."

"Uh huh. That's why you risked his wrath to come visit me?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Clearly I am here to visit Potter."

She giggled. "Clearly."

"Are you going to be okay? Potter said you were out for a while."

Before she could answer, there was another knock on her door. Calling for whoever it was to come in, she was greatly surprised to see that it was Regulus who walked through the door.

"Hermione, Harry said that you were awake. I wanted to see if we could –" Regulus cut himself off as soon as he noticed Draco sitting on the bed in close proximity to her. He narrowed his eyes at Draco in a move that looked so much like Sirius that she could feel Draco physically stiffen his body.

"Who are you?" Regulus demanded.

"Good gods, Hermione, he looks just like his brother. Isn't that going to be weird for you?"

"Draco!" she hissed.

"Well, Mother is waiting for me so I have to be off now. Glad to see you made it through, love," he said, laying it on thick before kissing her on the cheek and quickly leaving her room. She stared after him in disbelief that he would bait Regulus so overtly.

"Apparently you do not scare him as much as Sirius does. Draco can't even be in his presence without the threat of pissing himself. What are you doing here, Regulus? I didn't know you were out of St. Mungo's."

"Pott – Harry was supposed to tell you."

"Ah. We were interrupted."

"Yes, I saw."

She tilted her head to look at him as his tone suggested he was not happy. In fact, he sounded almost… jealous. She wasn't normally the type of woman that got giddy over jealousy and possessiveness but, for some reason, her heart leapt a little in her chest at his tone. She patted the space next to her, indicating that he should sit down. He looked a little uneasy at the thought of joining her on her bed, but he did so anyway.

"I wanted to apologize. You risked your life to bring me back, and I'm afraid I acted quite poorly. I am very grateful for the second chance you have provided to me."

"It's fine. I'm sure it was a massive surprise and you were probably very shocked. Most people would have reacted… not well. Besides, you weren't nearly as bad as…" she trailed off, finding herself unable to talk about James.

"Speaking of that, I should also apologize for my words said in reaction to his. I can assure you that blood does not matter to me. I… I made some mistakes in my life, yes, but –"

"Regulus, stop, it's okay. I understand. All is forgiven."

She was rewarded with a genuine smile from him, a smile that took her breath away. Merlin, this man was gorgeous on a bad day but when he smiled, his whole face just lit up.

"You're gorgeous!" she blurted out and immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. He smirked at her.

"Is that so?"

"I… I mean… I didn't… ugh!" she said as she buried her face in her hands, her cheeks red with embarrassment. His hands gently pried hers away from her face and placed them in her lap. He brought his hand back up to her face and traced her cheek gently with a fingertip.

"You are the gorgeous one. I never thought that this would happen… that I would be able to be with my soulmates. James… well. And I didn't know who you were and then I died. But you, you wonderful witch, brought me back. I have no idea how I will ever be able to repay you."

"Repayment is not necessary. My reasons for bringing you back were slightly selfish, after all."

He just stared at her, looking as if he did not believe that she was real. She couldn't help but stare back, taking some time to take in his eyes. They were similar to Sirius', yes, but bordered more on blue than grey. And they were looking at her with such love that she almost lost the ability to breathe.

"I know that we haven't known each other long. But I'd really like to kiss you, if you would allow it," Regulus said, his hand now cupping her cheek. She could find no words in which to reply, only nodding. He tilted his head and suddenly his lips were on hers. It was a short, chaste kiss, over before it really started, but it felt… wonderful. _This_ is what it felt like to share a kiss with someone you were meant to be with. They pulled apart and barely five seconds passed before they both lunged at each other. Before she knew it, she was flat on her back with Regulus pressed against her. She moaned as his lips kissed their way from her mouth to her neck.

She felt like she was in heaven.

Then, suddenly, his whole body stiffened and he lifted his head up. She opened her eyes to see what was wrong and saw the absolute last person she wanted to see at that moment.

Sirius.

And he had his wand jabbed into Regulus' side.

"You get your filthy hands off my daughter."

"Go away, Sirius. I'm busy."

She could barely hold in her snort at the look on Sirius' face as he started sputtering, clearly not expecting that response. Her eyes flew to meet Regulus' and he winked at her. Then Sirius did something completely unexpected: he started yelling for Remus. Unsure of just what he had planned, Hermione gently pushed against Regulus, who sat up and pulled her with him. Remus came running into the room, wand at the ready, clearly believing something was wrong. He lowered it right away as it became quite clear what was going on.

Sirius smirked at the pair of them, smug, before leaving the room saying, "You know what to do, Remus."

Hermione was confused, Regulus groaned, and Remus looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"Right. I don't know why Sirius thinks I'm the best person for this job, but here it goes," Remus began. She had no idea what the heck he was talking about, but judging by Regulus' shaking of his head, he obviously did. Remus continued, "This is much faster than I expected, but I understand the pull of the bond that happens after the ritual. Since you are both adults, we cannot stop you from having… intercourse. There will have to be a few rules, however. First, always use locking and silencing charms. No need to give Sirius a heart attack, yeah?"

Hermione was sure her face had never been redder than it was at this moment. A sex talk? If only lightening would come strike her down and save her from this embarrassment.

"Is this really necessary?" she asked.

"Apparently Sirius thinks so. Secondly, always, _always_ , remember to cast the contraceptive charm. I don't think Sirius would hesitate to curse any of you should a baby come any time soon. Right then, I'm going to go drown my memory of this conversation in some firewhiskey and curse Sirius for always making me do this."

With that, Remus left the room, leaving her alone once more with Regulus.

"I… don't even know what to say about that. I'm sorry?"

He chuckled at her uncertain tone.

"It's fine. I had a feeling that was going to happen once Sirius called for Remus. Sirius once made a joke about having Remus give me a sex talk after they got married. I found it quite amusing to see Remus so uncomfortable actually," he said, a smirk on his face. He then took his wand and put a locking and silencing charm on her room.

"Um, Regulus? I don't think… I'm not really… ready for that."

He chuckled slightly before saying, "I know. I just did it because I know Sirius is out there right now, and it's going to drive him crazy."

"So, it seems Sirius wasn't the only one in the family that liked to make trouble."

"Of course not," he scoffed, "I played my own share of pranks when I was in Hogwarts, mostly on Sirius. Anyway, there was another reason I wanted to speak with you. I would really like us to get to know each other. Would you do me the pleasure of going out on a date with me?"

"Of course I will!" she blurted out, and then immediately chastised herself for appearing too eager.

"Great!"

Okay, maybe she wasn't the only one that was eager.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere in Muggle London. I'm certain that Sirius made sure you had plenty of exposure to the Muggle world. Knowing him, he probably took much joy in our mother rolling over in her grave that her granddaughter was mingling amongst Muggles."

She was confused at this words for a moment before she realized that no one had bothered to tell him that Sirius and Remus adopted her.

"That sounds wonderful, but Regulus, there's something you should know. Sirius and Remus adopted me only a few years ago when my parents were killed. I'm a Muggle-born."

She looked at him, somewhat nervous of his reaction. Sure, he had said earlier that he didn't follow blood supremacy, but she was still wary. It didn't help that he was currently just staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Regulus?"

That seemed to shake him from his stupor, and she suddenly found two arms wrapped around her.

"Oh, thank Merlin! You have _no_ idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I can't say the thought that my own niece was my soulmate did not mess with my head. It was just a little too much incest, even though I was willing to overlook it. I am so relieved."

"So you don't care that I'm not a Half-Blood or Pureblood?"

"Of course not. Any wizard would be stupid to overlook a witch like you just because of your blood status. I never really cared. I just… I wasn't brave like Sirius. Standing up to my parents was almost impossible for me."

"I understand. But I know what you did, Regulus, how you died. It was a very brave thing you did. Don't ever say that you weren't brave."

He held her tighter and she felt his lips brush against her forehead. They sat, entwined in each other's arms, for hours and talked about more general topics like their favorite Hogwarts classes. Hermione could admit that she had never felt so complete in her whole life. But yet, there was still something missing. _Someone_ missing.

James.

* * *

Thanks to Raybe for betaing!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the positive turn to Hermione and Regulus' relationship. In case you are wondering where James is, he's still in Mungo's and we'll probably see him in the next chapter.

Please read and review!


	12. Chapter 12

James let Remus help him into the thankfully silent house. He was still a bit unsteady on his feet as the process of flushing his body from the love potions had taken a lot out of him. Now that he had a clear head, he was right ashamed of his behavior. Anger also seemed to be a prevalent emotion. Anger at Regulus for betraying him and taking the Dark Mark. Anger at Lily for taking away his choice. And thinking back to what Remus told him at St. Mungo's, anger at Hermione for once again taking away his choice.

Remus had tried to explain that he still had a choice, but did he really?

" _What does Hermione have to do with this? I know she's your daughter, Remus, but this doesn't really have anything to do with her."_

" _Oh, James. This has everything to do with her."_

" _What? Why?"_

" _Haven't you wondered just why she brought you back?"_

" _Well, yeah I guess, in the back of my mind. She must be a pretty powerful witch to pull off such a feat."_

" _She is. She also has a lot of love in her heart, James. Remember that."_

" _Remus, just tell me what it going on."_

" _She's a Black, James. You know what happens when they come of age. The only reason you didn't do the ritual is because your father didn't want you to. If you had, you would have found, like Hermione and Regulus, that you had two strings. When her strings both came up black, she wanted to know who her soulmates were. Sirius and I… we tried to talk her out of it. But once she sets her mind to something, nothing can change it. Well, the two names were Regulus and… you."_

" _So you are saying she brought me back from the dead because I'm her soulmate?"_

" _Yes. She was… distraught after learning your names. I don't think she was quite expecting to have Sirius' brother and the father of the wizard she considers her brother as her soulmates. She almost died to bring you and Regulus back, James. If she had been found any later, she would be dead."_

" _And what? I should feel grateful that she risked her life for a stranger?"_

" _Yes. Yes, you should, damn it!" Remus yelled, slamming his fist against the wall causing James to jump. "She risked her life to bring you back so that Harry could have his father back and Sirius, his brother. So that maybe you and Regulus could have a second chance at having a life. Aren't you happy to have a chance to have a relationship with Harry?"_

" _Of course I am! I would love nothing more than to get to know my son. But you can't sit there and tell me she didn't do this for herself, that she wasn't expecting something from me."_

 _He heard Remus sigh and knew the other wizard was beginning to lose his patience._

" _Look, Remus, Lily took away my choice in who I was going to love. It feels like Hermione did the same thing. And don't even get me started on Regulus, that traitor."_

" _It doesn't work like that, James. You still have a choice here. If you really feel as if you don't want anything to do with Hermione or Regulus, that is your choice. I'm sure they'll understand. And I know you don't want to talk about him, but you should really talk to Regulus. There are things you don't know."_

" _I know enough," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. That had always been his signal that he was done talking and luckily, Remus dropped it._

 _For now._

And now here he was, being supported by Remus as he walked into the house he would be sharing with his best mates, his son, and two people he wasn't sure what to do about. He wondered how long it would take to get his own flat somewhere.

"Where is everyone?"

"Harry is probably at Daphne's as I know they had some details to iron out for the wedding. Sirius should be around here somewhere, probably in the garage tinkering with his motorbike. I'm not sure where Hermione and Regulus are."

He couldn't help but flinch at their names.

"When do you think Harry will be back?" he asked, trying not to focus too much on the fact that no-one had mentioned his son was getting married.

"He should be back around dinner time. But James, you have to understand that Harry and Hermione are as close as any siblings. He's not going to want anything to do with you until you apologize to her for what you said and how you acted."

James nodded. As much as he wasn't looking forward to it, he did have some manners and was already planning on apologizing to her. He was about to ask Remus where his room would be but before he could, loud laughter and the sound of the front door shutting sounded throughout the house. As he watched, Hermione and Regulus stumbled into the room, laughing and looking wind-swept and… gorgeous. Both of their eyes were sparkling with happiness and his heart clenched at seeing Regulus look at her the way he used to look at him. They both stopped in their tracks when they saw him, and all three of them stood there looking at each other awkwardly. No one noticed Remus slip from the room.

"Jam – uh Mr. Potter? Out of St. Mungo's then?" Hermione asked him and he could hear how awkward she felt in her tone.

"I… yes. Listen, I wanted to say something to you," he began, ignoring the way that Regulus pulled her near as if she needed protection from him.

Maybe she did.

"I apologize for my actions toward you… I wasn't in my right mind. Be assured, it will not happen again."

"Be sure it doesn't. I may be a forgiving person, but if you ever talk like that to me again, you will meet with the wrong end of my wand."

Hermione then turned from him and started to pull Regulus from the room when she stopped. Turning back around to face him, she seemed unsure.

"What do you mean 'you weren't in your right mind'?"

* * *

Hermione was having the time of her life. Sure, she had been on a few dates before but let's be honest, most wizards gave her a wide berth. It wasn't all that surprising considering Sirius tended to scare even the bravest wizard (on purpose). And then there was Remus, who despite his deceptively timid demeanor, had a tendency to growl at any wizard (and some witches) who even dared to glance her way. Last, but certainly not least, was Harry. If someone was not sufficiently scared off by Sirius or Remus, Harry was there to complete the job. All it took was one look at the Boy-Who-Lived rolling his wand between his fingers and glaring to run off the remaining interested wizards.

So needless to say, her love life was fairly dismal.

They had decided to go out in the Muggle world for their first date, not wanting the attention that stepping out in the Wizarding world would bring. She knew that the news was out about both Regulus and James being back, but the Daily Prophet had been suspiciously quiet beyond one small article. She suspected Sirius was somehow behind that. Whatever the reason, she was grateful but knew if she dared stepped foot in Diagon Alley, it would be all over the paper the next day.

They were currently dining in one of the most exclusive restaurants in London, Chiltern Firehouse. She had asked Regulus how he managed to get a reservation, but he merely smirked at her and directed her attention back to the menu. The meal that followed was superb, and she wondered if anything would ever be able to top this day.

One thing that did surprise her – although upon reflection, it shouldn't have been all that surprising – was how much she had in common with Regulus. They talked about their Hogwarts days and realized they shared the same favorite class, Ancient Runes. Happy to have someone who shared her interest, they spent an embarrassingly long time discussing different theories. He was especially interested in her use of Runes in that ritual that brought him back from beyond the veil. Of course, they had to talk quietly since they couldn't risk being overheard, and this led to Regulus sitting _very_ close to her.

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy his closeness.

After their meal, they walked hand in hand around London for a bit as she showed him some sights. This was one day that she did not want to see end, but unfortunately she still tired easily and was beginning to feel it. As they walked in the house, Regulus cracked a joke about Sirius, complete with a dead-on impersonation that had her laughing until her sides hurt. She stopped suddenly as she realized they were not alone in the room but that James was standing there, looking at them with an almost wistful expression on his face.

"Jam – uh Mr. Potter? Out of St. Mungo's then?" she asked, unsure of what she should call him and feeling awkward about addressing him at all. Still, even though he had been nothing but awful, she felt she should at least try to be polite.

"I… yes. Listen, I wanted to say something to you."

At his words, she felt Regulus' arm slip around her waist and pull her close to him. She could feel how tense his body was, as if he was preparing for a fight to break out.

"I apologize for my actions toward you… I wasn't in my right mind. Be assured, it will not happen again."

"Be sure it doesn't. I may be a forgiving person, but if you ever talk like that to me again, you will meet with the wrong end of my wand," she said as she turned around to leave him be, pulling Regulus along with her. Before she could get far, she stopped as something he had said didn't seem quite right. Turning back around, she asked,

"What do you mean 'you weren't in your right mind'?"

"Oh… um… well. Nothing important really. Just forget about it. I'm going to go get some rest. Remus promised to show me where my room is."

Her eyes narrowed at his back as he turned to go find Remus, but his progress was halted when Regulus spoke.

"Potter. Answer the lady's question."

James whirled back around and she was taken aback by the pure hatred and anger that was now present in his eyes.

"I do not answer to you, Black," he spat out.

"Maybe not, but you should answer to her. After all, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

"I didn't ask for her to do anything. I didn't ask for this! It would have been better if she had just left well enough alone! Then I would be blissfully dead and ignorant of the fact that my wife, who I thought I loved, had really just poisoned me with love potions!" James shouted, his face red and his breath coming out in short puffs.

Hermione was speechless, a rarity in her case. For once, she had no idea what to do. She took a small step towards him, hoping to offer him some comfort, for no one deserved that, but he recoiled away from her as if she was made of acid. She looked at Regulus, whose eyes were wide and his eyebrows raised in surprise. Deciding that she had to say something, she was stopped before she could by a loud exclamation coming from behind her.

"What?!"

Her heart dropped as she recognized the voice, and she turned to see Harry staring at his father, betrayal shining through his eyes.

"Harry…" she started to say but trailed off as she came to the realization that this time, she had no words of comfort for him.

"I guess I did have more in common with Voldemort than I ever thought. No wonder he picked me as the child in the prophecy," he spat out and she didn't think she had ever heard that much bitterness in his voice. Harry rushed back out, leaving the three of them in the room alone. Without a word to either James or Regulus, she rushed after him, calling out his name.

This was a bombshell she hadn't been expecting.

* * *

Thanks to Raybe for betaing!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. They mean so much to me!

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate.

Please read and review!


	13. Chapter 13

"Harry!" she called, rushing to catch up with him. Luckily, she knew him well enough to know exactly where he was headed. And she was right, as there he was, sitting under their tree (dubbed such when they all first moved in together as a family). It was a place where the two of them would spend a lot of time, either together or alone. It was a peaceful place right next to the small pond in the backyard; the tree providing just the right amount of shade.

Harry's knees were pulled up to his chest and his head was resting on them. His shoulders were shaking, a sure sign that he was crying silently. She said nothing as she sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"How could she? How could she do this?" he asked, his voice broken with sadness.

"I don't know, Harry. I don't think we'll ever know," she answered as she ran her fingers through his hair to try to calm him.

"I love Daphne, Hermione. I love her."

"I… I know you do, Harry," she said, confused as to why he was making that statement.

"Why?"

"What? 'Why' what?"

"Why do I love Daphne? Why do I love you or Sirius or Remus? How is it possible I can love any of you?"

 _Oh_.

"I never really believed that the love potion that Voldemort's mother used on his father made him unable to love. Love potions are way too prevalent in the Wizarding World. Hell, they are easy enough to make that they teach them to school children! I think we would have many more unloving Dark Lords running around if being conceived while one party was under the influence of a love potion rendered them unable to love. It just doesn't make any sense. I think that, if he had wanted to, Voldemort was capable of love. He just chose to see it as a weakness instead of a strength. After all, it is our choices that define who we are, Harry."

Harry lifted his head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes as if trying to see if she was sincere. Like she would ever lie to him – about this anyway.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better, Hermione. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I think you should talk to you father, Harry. I'm sure he didn't want you to find out by him shouting it out."

"I don't like the way he treats you, Hermione. It's not right."

"No, it's not. But it is understandable. Think about how you would feel if all this happened to you in a very short period of time. He's your father, Harry. You know I would never make you pick between us."

"He should count his lucky stars that he has a soulmate such as you. But you are right, he is my father and I have missed him my whole life. I'll talk to him. Later."

"Thank you. Do you want me to call for Daphne?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Just send her out here when she comes."

"I will. Love you, Harry."

"Love you too."

With one last glance to make sure he was going to be okay, she went back to the house to Floo call Daphne. As much as she knew Harry appreciated her comfort, she knew that Daphne could do a better job, especially in this instance. As she walked, she had only one thought in her head: Lily was lucky she was unable to call anyone else back from the dead because if she could, she would bring her back just to kill her again.

* * *

The two wizards stood awkwardly, feet shuffling and eyes not meeting. Both pairs of eyes instead were looking at the spot where Harry and Hermione had run from. Regulus sighed, unsure of what to do. He did not want to follow Hermione, knowing neither her nor Harry would appreciate his interference. There was a part of him that ached to reach out to James, to offer him some comfort.

To take him in his arms once again.

But as his eyes shifted to James' face, he knew that James would not welcome anything from him. After all, he did see the way James reacted when Hermione dared take a step towards him. He wondered if they would ever be able to bridge this gaping hole between them.

"James, I… "

James' eyes snapped to his, and he was not surprised at the swirling emotions he saw in them. Hurt, sadness, anger… all emotions he had seen there before.

"I'm sorry Lily did that to you," he said, starting again.

"Thank you," James choked out. Regulus nodded once and left his once lover alone in the kitchen. He could not lie to himself: he _missed_ James, even if he was being a right prat. With a long-suffering sigh, he went in search of Hermione.

* * *

James watched as Regulus turned and left. He was surprised at his words, that Regulus would even make an attempt to provide him any kind of comfort. He shouldn't have been, however, as that was just the type of person Regulus was. Or had been. Before he decided to throw everything between them away and take the Dark Mark.

His musings were interrupted when a slight, very attractive blonde woman walked into the kitchen. He was slightly startled by her presence, knowing that Sirius and Remus wouldn't just let anyone have access to their home.

"Oh, hello. You must be Mr. Potter. Such a pleasure to finally get to meet you. I'm Daphne Greengrass – "

"My son's fiancée," James said, cutting her off, extending his hand to take hers and brought it up to his lips. He may have just returned from the death and was having a hard time controlling his emotions, but regardless of what his behavior suggested, he had not forgotten his Pureblood manners.

"Yes. Hermione told me that Harry required my assistance. Do you happen to know where I might be able to find him?"

"Ah… no, sorry. I think he might be outside though."

"Thank you. If that's the case, I know where I can find him. It was lovely finally getting to meet you," she said as she started to leave the room.

"Wait! I… um… would you like a cup of tea?" James asked, wanting to talk to someone who was not irritated with him or hating his guts.

"That would be lovely. We should get to know each other. After all, you are going to be my father-in-law."

James rustled around the kitchen, hoping he could find the makings for tea. He hit the jackpot in a cabinet that was filled to brim with about twenty different types of teas. As the tea brewed, he motioned for Daphne to join him at the table.

"I understand this whole returning from the dead thing must be difficult for you. Everyone was quite shocked that Hermione was able to achieve such astonishing results. Still, everyone was quite happy that she did. Sirius, particularly, must be happy. Not only did he get one of his best friends back, but his brother as well. I know he always felt guilty with the way things ended between them, especially after he found out what Regulus did during the war."

James had no idea what she was talking about but wasn't willing to tell her that. Plus, he wanted to know what she meant so he played along.

"Oh, he didn't do all that much."

"Oh sure. If you consider turning against Voldemort and stealing one of his horcruxes not doing much."

Regulus did _what_? James could not wrap his head around what he just learned. Regulus… turned against Voldemort? And what in the hell was a horcrux? Whatever it was, if it involved Voldemort, it could not be a good thing. He was so lost in his thoughts that it took him a few minutes to realize that Daphne was gone, probably having made her way to wherever his son was hiding. James stood quickly and practically ran to the room Remus had showed him that would be his. He threw himself down on the bed and held his head in his hands as memories long forgotten assaulted him.

" _What are you doing here, Regulus? I told you we were done and that I never wanted to see you again."_

" _James, please. I know you are angry with me, but please –"_

" _Please nothing! You betrayed me! You turned your back on us the moment you let yourself be branded as if you were some sort of brainless cattle," he spat._

" _You don't understand."_

" _I think I understand just fine. I loved you, Regulus. I would have died for you, but you threw that back in my face to run off and join someone who goes against everything I believe in."_

" _Loved? James, you don't… love me anymore?"_

 _He looked his ex-lover in the eyes and lied to him for the first time._

" _No."_

 _James had a brief moment where he thought he would be sick at the look of devastation on Regulus' face. He thought about taking back his ugly words but before he could, Regulus turned and fled._

That had been the last time James had spoken to Regulus before being brought back to life. James had heard rumors of Regulus' disappearance months after that conversation. But by that point, Lily had had him under the influence of the love potion. He didn't even get to grieve over the death of his first love.

It was all his fault Regulus had died. If only he had listened to Regulus when he came to see him. He should have known that Regulus wouldn't have betrayed him like that. Regulus didn't betray him; it was him who betrayed Regulus. He let Regulus walk to his death thinking that he no longer loved him, that he no longer had anyone left in the world.

Why didn't he just _listen_?

Completely overwhelmed by everything, he started sobbing, unsure if he would ever be able to stop.

* * *

Dinner that night was a raucous affair. If anyone noticed the fact that James didn't say a word or that his eyes were bloodshot from crying, they did not say. Sirius was telling some stories from their school days, causing Hermione, Regulus, Harry, and Daphne to break down into loud laughter. Remus sat and listened, a small smile on his face, but James noticed the small concerned glances he would send his way.

James watched as Regulus took Hermione's hand at one point, noticing that Regulus was looking at her the same way he used to look at him. Regulus looked happy and from the look on her face, Hermione returned that feeling. It hit him suddenly, the thought that Regulus was better off without him. He was a horrible person, turning his back on someone who he loved. With a loud scrape as his chair dragged across the floor, he quickly stood up, all eyes in the room suddenly on him.

"James? Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

He looked at her then, this small witch who accomplished the impossible, and saw how she looked back at him. She was worried about him. About _him_. The person who has been nothing but horrid to her from day one. It wasn't only Regulus he didn't deserve.

He didn't deserve her either.

Maybe it would be best if he just left her and Regulus to each other, soulmates or not. They didn't need someone who seemed completely unable to remove his head from his arse.

"Fine. I'm fine. I… uh… just need some air. I'm going for a walk," he answered her and left the house.

He cursed himself as he left, for being so unwilling to listen to Regulus. For lying to him. He cursed Lily for giving him love potions (although he could never regret Harry). There was even a small part of him that cursed Hermione for bringing him into this hell.

He didn't know where to go from here.

* * *

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. You all are the best readers ever.

Thanks to Raybe for the beta duties, and Liza for the help.

I apologize for yet another late chapter. Things are crazy here and it's really killed my muse.

In other news, I can't believe it, but this story is coming up on 600 reviews! I'm super excited about that. If there is something you would like to see in the fic, let me know!

Please read and review! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Hermione kept her eyes on James as he left the room. The conversation picked up immediately after his departure, but she remained quiet, wondering if he was okay. She knew she had conflicting feelings about him. On one hand, she was still greatly hurt and annoyed with his behavior. But on the other hand, she felt truly awful for him. It couldn't be easy to suddenly come back from the dead and be hit with all the things he had been. She also felt somewhat guilty as it was mostly her fault he was dealing with so many issues. In other words, she didn't really know what she should be feeling in regards to James Potter.

Once dinner ended and James had not returned, she began to get worried about him. She pushed the feeling down and tried to ignore the worrying feeling she felt, knowing it would be unwanted. Once she vanished her plate to the sink, she got up from the table and decided to head to the library and settle in with a new book. Before she could enter the library, however, she felt a hand on her wrist, spinning her around. Her eyes met Regulus'.

"Are you okay? You seemed upset after James left."

His voice still cracked a bit whenever he said James' name, and she felt her heart, which was already fractured a bit because of the James situation, break a little more. She wondered if he would ever be able to say it normally.

"I'm fine. Just a bit worried, I suppose. James seemed… off at dinner, and then he just left pretty quickly."

"James has been 'off' this whole time. I wish I could tell you that he will come around, but… I don't know him anymore."

The look on his face as he talked about James made her feel even worse, and the cracks in her heart widened once again. She wondered, not for the first time, if she had made a mistake in bringing James and Regulus back. Reaching up, she brought her hand to his cheek and gently stroked it. She felt a smile form under her hand, and she removed her hand, placing a quick peck on his lips. His smile quickly turned mischievous, and he pulled her closer. He nipped playful at her bottom lip before covering her lips fully with his. The playful kiss quickly became more intense, and, as they lost themselves in each other, they both forgot that they were still standing out in the open in the hallway.

Forgot, that is, until they heard the distinctive sound of someone clearing their throat.

They broke apart, although Regulus kept her close, and she turned her head to see Sirius glaring at Regulus.

"It is bad enough that I know my brother is snogging my only daughter, but must you do it where I can _see_?"

She heard Sirius growl at Regulus, and instantly she knew that Regulus was smirking at him. She could do nothing but sigh. Regulus liked nothing more than poking at Sirius' buttons when it came to their relationship.

"I think you're just jealous that I'm snogging and you're not, old man."

"Old man? Old man! Remus! Regulus just called me old! Hurry up and come check my hair for greys!" Sirius shouted as he ran back towards the kitchen. Regulus starting snickering at Sirius' back but was quickly cut off by Hermione's elbow in his ribs.

"Oof! What was that for?"

"That wasn't nice. You know how much he hates being called old."

"Of course I know. Why do you think I do it?"

"You are incorrigible."

"I know I am. And you love it."

"I do not," she said as she began backing away, knowing he would take it as a challenge. And she was right as he immediately began stalking towards her. "Regulus, don't you dare come any closer."

"Or what?" he asked, his voice taking on a husky tone.

She shook her head and took off for her room, giggling as she ran. Regulus' laughter followed behind her as he ran after her. As his legs were much longer than hers, he caught up to her easily, picking her up and flinging her over his shoulder.

"Regulus! Put me down!"

"Never," he said.

He carried her into her bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. She made to yell at him for acting like a caveman but quickly swallowed her words at the intense look he was giving her.

"Reg –" her words were cut off as his lips crashed down on hers. This kiss felt different. Sure, all the kisses they had shared were full of passion, but this was more… forceful and deep, almost as if he was trying to tell her something through the kiss. Suddenly, he ripped himself away from her and just stared. She unexpectedly felt uncomfortable with his staring and wondered if she had perhaps done something wrong.

"Regulus? Is something wrong?"

"I love you," he blurted out.

Well. She certainly hadn't been expecting him to say _that_. It was a bit of a shock to hear those words fall from his lips. She realized then that she hadn't responded, and Regulus was starting to look slightly nervous.

"I know it hasn't been that long, and we've only been on a couple of dates, but I really feel as if I've known you –"

This time it was him getting cut off when her lips met his. They continued on for a few minutes until she pulled back, both of them panting to catch their breath. She rested her forehead on his and looked into his eyes.

"You are right. It hasn't been that long since we started to get to know each other. But I understand, because I feel the same way. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I did the ritual to bring you back, but I am so very glad that you are here with me. I love you too, Reg."

His eyes sparkled with happiness when she told him she loved him, and she was glad that she was able to bring him some happiness in their messed up situation. The happy expression on his face quickly gave way to what she thought of as his signature smug look. That was the only warning she had before she found herself pinned to her bed, Regulus on top of her.

They had found themselves in this position a few times before but, as it was with the snog earlier, this also felt different. It was almost as if confessing their love to each other had suddenly enhanced the experience. Hands roamed over bodies, venturing to places they hadn't been before. She felt Regulus' hands slip under her jumper, and she had to suppress a moan as they began to lightly caress her skin. His fingertips trailed upwards until they brushed along the side of her breasts. This time she did moan, softly. He reached behind her to unhook her bra but stopped before his task was complete.

"Is this alright?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded and he resumed eagerly. Before she knew it, not only was her bra unhooked but her jumper had been pulled off over her head. A hot, wet mouth drew one nipple in while his hand attended to the other. It felt amazing and left her wanting more. _Now_. Her hands went to work, pushing Regulus back so she could remove his jumper. The heated stare he levelled at her had her wanting to melt into a puddle of goo. If he continued the way he was going, she just might.

His lips attacked hers as she began to run her hands down his chest. She could feel his nicely defined abs under her fingers as they made their way to his belt. She made quick work of un-fastening it before pushing his trousers and pants down. He groaned when her fingers curled around his cock and that spurred him into further action. His hands reached up under her skirt, brushing lightly over the front of her knickers. She moaned, her hips lifting slightly to seek more contact with his hand. Instead, he moved them away, hooked his fingers around the waistband of the knickers, and slowly drew them down her legs. Her skirt quickly followed. His fingers returned to their previous spot, and he stroked one up and down her increasingly wet slit, before slipping it inside.

Before long, the only sounds in the room were soft groans and moans. She spread her legs wider as Regulus settled himself over her. As he pressed gently into her, he whispered that he loved her into her ear. She lifted her hips to match his rhythm, and he slipped a hand between them to circle her clit. Soon, much sooner than either of them expected, they reached completion together. It was more intense than either had experienced before and a bright white light encased them before disbursing with a great bang.

"What… what was _that_?" Regulus asked as he collapsed on top of her.

"I don't know. That's certainly never happened to me before. I wonder if it's a soulmate thing."

"No, I don't think so. It never happened when James and I…um…" he trailed off, looking uncomfortable at having brought up James while they were both lying there naked.

"Maybe it has something to do with the soulmate ritual then. It's possible that the ritual opens up some sort of bond that we've just completed. I know that this is the most complete I've ever felt."

He nodded in agreement, neither of them mentioning the fact that there was still a small part of them that felt incomplete. Instead, he rolled them over so that she was now sitting astride his lap.

"So," he began as his hands started to roam her body, "that ended a bit sooner than I had hoped. Can I interest you in a round two?"

"Well, I don't know. Can you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him in challenge. His resulting smirk promised her hours of a good time.

He made good on that unspoken promise.

* * *

Hours later, they finally ventured from her room, both of them feeling hungry even though they had eaten dinner. It was late so she assumed everyone would be sleeping, and the house would be quiet. She assumed wrong because as soon as they crossed the threshold into the hallway, they had to stop short because Sirius was standing there, blocking their way. She would have wondered why he was standing there if it wasn't for the furious look on his face.

"Sirius?"

"I realize that you are both adults and will do what you want, but please, for the love of Merlin, cast some silencing charms. The last thing I needed was to hear my brother deflowering my daughter!"

"Sirius!" she yelped, mortified at his choice of words. "There was no deflowering done. And please don't ever say that word again. Please."

His eyes narrowed at her. "What do you mean, no deflowering?"

Realizing her error and really not wanting to get into a conversation with Sirius about just who she lost her virginity to (not that it was any of his business), she grabbed Regulus and made a break for it.

"Hermione! We will talk about this tomorrow!" he called after them.

Hermione and Regulus settled themselves with a snack at the table and ate in silence. When Regulus was done, he looked at her and said, "Well, that was awkward."

Her resulting laughter echoed through the house.

* * *

AN: Thanks to Raybe for beta-ing. I have no excuses for how long it has been since I updated this. Some major life changes have happened, including a divorce and a move. If there is anything you would like to see in this story, please let me know. I need to get some direction lol.

Thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing. I greatly thank everyone that has stuck with this story. :)

Happy 4th to my USA readers.


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